Uber & Lyft Accidents in Georgia

What should I do if I’ve been hurt in an automobile accident when I took Uber & Lyft in Georgia?

As a Georgia personal injury attorney, I am handling more and more Uber and Lyft accident cases. You see people using Uber and Lyft every day in a busy city like Atlanta.  These types of car accidents are quite common now, especially in comparison to just a few years ago in Georgia. One of the first questions I will get asked in my Georgia personal injury practice is: “What should I do if I’ve been hurt in one of these types of accidents?”

I’m here to help, but first, let me offer a bit of background…

Why It Could Be Easier for An Automobile Accident to Happen When You Take Uber & Lyft?

Do you know that the Chicago University Business School determined — “The arrival of ridesharing is associated with an increase of 2-3% in the number of motor vehicle fatalities and fatal accidents”?  The percent may seem small at first glance. But, it’s actually quite a lot considering the sheer number of automobile accidents already happening in Georgia. While Uber and Lyft’s services provide a lot of benefits to people, there are several reasons why Uber & Lyft drivers may be more likely to cause a car accident in places like Atlanta, Georgia:

1. One thing is for sure — Uber & Lyft are putting more drivers on the road in Georgia.
2. Another consideration — Uber & Lyft drivers might not be very familiar will the route when they pick up a new passenger, which causes more Atlanta accidents.
3. You’ve probably seen this too — Uber & Lyft driver will need to use the map app on their phone. And then, the reaction time to avoid an automobile accident really slows down!

How Do Uber & Lyft Insurance Policies Work After an Accident in Georgia?

Next, you need to know about Uber and Lyfts’ insurance policies after an automobile accident.

When it comes to rideshare service in Georgia, things are a little bit different: When it comes to your Uber & Lyft driver, their own personal insurance companies, such as State Farm, GEICO, and Allstate, will not be willing to compensate you for your personal injuries in a car wreck. Why is that?  Well, most insurance companies will include in their policy that the insurance only covers “personal use” and thus will not include business activities, like driving for Uber and Lyft. Fortunately, Uber and Lyft have their own insurance policies for their drivers.

A quick point of comparison: In a non-rideshare traffic accident in Georgia, a passenger can get compensation for bodily injuries directly from the insurance company of the other driver. FYI — If there’s not enough coverage, i.e. money available, the passenger might also be able to get reimbursement from their own insurance company and the insurance company of the owner’s vehicle. It’s still though probably less than the coverage for Uber and Lyft drivers.

Let’s look at the fine print for these types of accidents…

Uber’s Insurance After a Georgia Accident with Personal Injuries

For Uber’s insurance following an accident with personal injuries, Uber provides the following insurance policy for its driver:

• $1,000,000 Third-Party Liability (Their driver at-fault) — Well above the minimum limits of $25,000 for individual people required under Georgia law. Another point: Taxi cabs usually only carry $25,000 so please take Uber or Lyft instead of them.
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury, i.e. another driver is at-fault and not the Uber or Lyft driver, of $1,000,000 too. A great added layer of protection after an automobile accident in Georgia.  You may be able to get the other driver’s insurance after a wreck plus it.

Lyft’s Insurance Following a Georgia Motor Vehicle Collision

As for Lyft, their insurance policy states that for an automobile accident:

Our primary liability insurance is designed to act as the primary coverage from the time you accept a ride request until the time the ride has ended in the app. The policy has a $1,000,000 per accident limit.

What’s this mean? As a practical matter, there’s not really a difference between the amount of insurance coverage after an accident in Georgia involving Lyft. Good news, you don’t have to choose Lyft over Uber or vice versa for this reason. 😉  Insurance questions may be complicated after an accident in Georgia so feel free to ask me. Always here to help!

How do I Report an Automobile Accident to Uber or Lyft?

Image of Help Feature on Uber App to Report an Automobile Accident

We know that being hurt in an accident is always hard for people. But at least the reporting process for Uber and Lyft is pretty easy:

1. Report the accident on the Application: It is easy to report the accident to Uber/Lyft by just using the app. It’s right under the help tab. One more tip: Take a screenshot of the information before you submit the information about the automobile accident. You never know if you’ll need it for your records down the road. (Bad pun, but yes, it’s so easy to save things now with your phone too).
2. Reporting accident on the Website: We’ll make it simple. You can click right on these links. Here’s the link to Uber. And here’s the link to Lyft.

What Type of Compensation is There After an Uber or Lyft Accident in Georgia?

As with other automobile accident cases, you may be entitled to

• Medical expenses — EMS and hospital bills following the accident.
• Future medical expenses  — Treatment a doctor thinks you may need in the future caused by the collision
• Lost wages — Time you missed from work while you were recovering from the automobile accident.
• Pain and suffering — We all know that its sure is hard to be hurting and in pain so Georgia law provides for compensation for it too.

If you are involved in an Uber or Lyft accident and have more questions about the Georgia personal injury process, please feel free to call me today.