Salt Lake City Rideshare Accidents Lawyer (Uber/Lyft)
If you were injured in an accident with an Uber or Lyft driver in Salt Lake City, contact an experienced Utah rideshare accident lawyer from our law firm to discuss your case.
Insurance coverage for these kinds of accidents can be complicated. We can make sure you receive the compensation you deserve for your injuries.
Call Handy & Handy at (801) 264-6677. There is no charge for the consultation, and we never take a fee unless we win your case.
Ridesharing Pros & Cons
For many Americans, rideshare services, like those offered by Uber and Lyft, have now become part of everyday life. But ridesharing is proving to have both pros and cons as it relates to motor vehicle accidents and fatalities across the nation.
Some studies suggest that rideshare services like Uber and Lyft reduce occurrences of drunk driving, while other studies indicate that they increase traffic on already congested roadways.
Moreover, a recent study linked ridesharing to a 3% rise in motor vehicle accidents across the nation. This 3% rise equates to another 987 lives lost on our roadways every year, and may be attributed to the fact that rideshare drivers are frequently distracted when they need to look at their phone to search for passengers and traffic routes.
Compensation For a Salt Lake City Rideshare Accident?
In Utah, if you are injured in an accident involving an Uber or Lyft driver, as a passenger, the driver of another vehicle, or a pedestrian, the party(s) who caused the accident to occur are liable to compensate you for your injuries and financial losses.
Normally, if the rideshare driver was at fault, you would first make a claim against the driver’s personal auto insurance. Then, when that source of compensation is exhausted, the rideshare company’s insurance coverage will kick in. But, it is rarely as straightforward as this.
For example, both Uber and Lyft require their drivers to carry their own auto insurance. But, there is no guarantee that the rideshare driver’s personal or commercial auto insurance policies will cover your claim.
Furthermore, it is quite possible for a gap in coverage to exist if neither the driver’s own auto insurance, nor the rideshare company’s insurance is applicable to your rideshare accident. Traditionally, rideshare companies only cover a driver when they have accepted a ride request (Period 2) or are already transporting a passenger (Period 3).
The time periods when the driver is either not logged in to the rideshare app or is logged in but simply awaiting a ride request are called Period 0 and Period 1 respectively, and are typically when gaps in coverage occur.
The good news is that both Uber and Lyft have begun to provide insurance coverage for drivers during Period 1 activity. In Utah, both Uber and Lyft provide their drivers with insurance coverage in the following manner:
- Period 1: Bodily injury liability in the amount of $50,000/$100,000 per accident; Property damage of $25,000 per accident.
- Period 2 and 3: $1 million for third party liability coverage.
This still does not guarantee that you will be compensated fairly for all the damages resulting from your rideshare accident. But, working with a personal injury attorney who has experience handling rideshare accident claims in Utah will give you the best chance of recovering the compensation you need and deserve.
Handy & Handy | Salt Lake City Rideshare Accident Attorneys
If you were injured in an accident with an Uber or Lyft driver in Salt Lake City, call Handy & Handy at (801) 264-6677 or fill out our contact form to arrange a free consultation with a knowledgeable and experienced Salt Lake City rideshare accident attorney. For the best results, contact us today.