If My Uber Driver Gets in an Accident, Who Will Pay For My Injuries?

Posted in Car accidents on September 30, 2022

Rideshare services such as Uber have become incredibly popular, and they are household names at this point. Most people do not think twice about clicking a few buttons on their phones to order a ride to get to and from their destinations. However, what happens if your Uber driver gets into a vehicle accident? Who will be responsible for paying compensation for any injuries you sustained?

Uber’s Insurance Periods

Many people don’t understand exactly how insurance works when it comes to Uber accidents. Some people assume that the driver’s personal insurance will be responsible for covering the incident, while others may think that Uber is directly responsible for paying the expenses.

First, a rideshare accident will be handled much like any other incident. First, liability will need to be determined, and if the Uber driver is found to be at fault for the incident, the different “periods” of Uber’s insurance will need to be examined.

Period 0 – Under period 0, this means that the Uber driver was not actually an Uber driver at the time the incident occurred, even if they were in a vehicle with an Uber sign on it. When a driver is not signed into the app to work, then their personal auto insurance coverage will be responsible for paying for a crash that they were responsible for. Uber drivers only have to carry minimum insurance in their state, in this case, Tennessee.

Period 1 – If an Uber driver is signed into their app to work, which means they are online and ready to accept passengers but do not yet have a ride request, there will be a slight difference when it comes to insurance policies if they cause an accident. During this insurance period, Uber will provide supplemental insurance coverage that will match the coverage required for drivers in Tennessee.

Periods 2 and 3 – Periods two and three are essentially the same, and Uber carries a $1 million liability insurance policy for any incident caused by the rideshare driver if the driver is on the way to a sanctioned passenger or has already picked the passenger up.

Was There Shared Fault With Another Driver?

Vehicle accidents can be complicated, particularly when it comes to liability. There are times when multiple drivers are at fault for an incident. In this case, Tennessee uses a modified comparative negligence system. Under this system, individuals who are 50% or more to blame for an accident will not be able to recover compensation. Additionally, salt will be apportioned out to each party found to be responsible for the incident, and their individual insurance carrier will be responsible for paying a portion of the compensation to accident victims.

If another driver is found to have contributed to an Uber accident, but the Uber driver also shared fault for the incident, the comparative fault system will be used to determine who pays what compensation to the injury victim. It is imperative that Uber accident victims work with a skilled Nashville Uber driver accident attorney who can help sort through all of this and ensure that their client recovers maximum compensation, regardless of where that compensation is coming from.