Rideshare services have become a common way to get around Pasadena, but an accident involving an Uber, Lyft, or another rideshare vehicle can create complicated legal and insurance issues.
If you were injured in a collision because of another party’s negligence, a rideshare accident lawyer in Pasadena can help you understand your rights and pursue compensation. At Lowe Law, we have decades of combined experience helping injury victims seek compensation after accidents caused by negligence.
We understand the challenges that can arise when insurance companies and rideshare companies become involved in an injury claim. Schedule a free consultation with one of our Pasadena personal injury lawyers today.
How a Rideshare Accident Attorney in Pasadena Can Help Establish Liability
Rideshare collisions can involve several potentially responsible parties. While the rideshare driver may be responsible for causing a crash, another motorist, a rideshare company, or another party could also share liability depending on the circumstances.
Like other motorists, rideshare drivers have a duty to operate their vehicles safely and follow Texas traffic laws. Evidence concerning whether the driver was logged into the rideshare platform, waiting for a passenger request, traveling to pick someone up, or carrying a passenger may affect the insurance coverage available after a crash.
A Pasadena rideshare accident attorney can investigate the collision, identify potentially liable parties, and examine available evidence to determine how the accident occurred. This may include police reports, photographs, witness statements, surveillance footage, vehicle damage, rideshare records, and other documentation.
Understanding Rideshare Insurance Coverage
The applicable insurance coverage for a rideshare accident claim may change depending on whether the driver was using the rideshare application, waiting for a passenger request, traveling to pick up a passenger, or actively transporting a passenger.
Most rideshare drivers are classified as independent contractors, in an attempt to minimize the liability of the rideshare company and the benefits they must provide to their drivers. However, that does not necessarily eliminate other potential sources of insurance coverage or liability. The specific facts surrounding the collision must be evaluated to determine which policies may apply.
Accidents Caused When the Driver Was Offline
When a rideshare driver is not logged into the rideshare application, the company’s commercial coverage generally does not apply. In these circumstances, an injured person may initially need to pursue compensation under the driver’s personal automobile insurance policy.
If that coverage is unavailable or insufficient to address the losses caused by a serious accident, additional legal options may need to be considered based on the circumstances of the claim.
Accidents While a Driver Is Logged Into the App and Waiting for a Ride
Coverage can change once a rideshare driver logs into the application and becomes available to accept passengers. If the driver has not accepted a ride request, a different level of insurance coverage may apply depending on the applicable policy and circumstances.
This coverage may include up to $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for bodily injury, along with up to $30,000 in property damage coverage. Additional excess liability coverage may also be available under certain circumstances.
Determining whether this coverage applies requires examining the driver’s status and the precise timing of the collision.
Accidents Occurring Once a Driver Has Accepted a Trip or Is Transporting a Passenger
Once a rideshare driver accepts a trip or is transporting a passenger, substantially greater insurance coverage may become available. If the rideshare driver caused the accident, up to $1 million in liability coverage may be available under the applicable rideshare company policy.
Our Pasadena rideshare accident lawyers can examine the circumstances of the collision and investigate all potentially applicable insurance coverage rather than assuming that only one policy is available.
How Texas Comparative Negligence Rules Could Affect Your Compensation
Texas follows a modified comparative negligence system in personal injury cases involving multiple parties. Under this system, an injury victim is barred from pursuing compensation if they are more than 50% responsible for the accident. If you are partially to blame, but your level of responsibility is 50% or less, your compensation will be reduced proportionally.
For example, suppose you suffered $100,000 in damages after a rideshare accident and were determined to be 30% responsible for the collision. Your recoverable damages could potentially be reduced by 30%, leaving you with $70,000.
Insurance companies may attempt to place some responsibility for an accident on an injured party to take advantage of this system and reduce their financial responsibility. An experienced rideshare accident attorney serving Pasadena can review the available evidence, respond to allegations of shared fault, and work to establish the circumstances that led to your injuries.
Deadlines for Filing a Rideshare Accident Lawsuit in Texas
Texas generally provides people injured in motor vehicle accidents with two years to file a personal injury lawsuit under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003. If you fail to file within the applicable statute of limitations, you may lose the ability to pursue your injury claim in court.
Beginning an investigation of a rideshare accident as soon as possible can also help the strength of your claim, as evidence may become more difficult to obtain as time passes. Surveillance footage can be overwritten, vehicles can be repaired, witnesses may become harder to locate, and electronic information may become more difficult to obtain.
Preserving evidence early can be particularly important in rideshare cases because establishing which insurance coverage applies may depend on information about the driver’s activities immediately before and during the collision.
Get Help From a Rideshare Accident Lawyer in Pasadena Today
The involvement of a rideshare driver in a car accident claim can add another layer of complexity to an already difficult situation. If you were injured in a rideshare accident in Pasadena because of another party’s negligence, the experienced legal team at Lowe Law can help you understand your options.
Since founding our firm in 2016, we have recovered millions of dollars in damages for injured clients. Contact us today to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation. We can listen to what happened and help you understand the next steps while you focus on your recovery.