Rideshare Accidents

You may choose not to own a car. Or, you may have a vehicle, but prefer not to drive it in certain situations. In these cases, you may rely on a ridesharing service to get you to and from your destination. While ridesharing is convenient and has grown increasingly popular, it’s not without risk. As with other drivers in South Florida, rideshare drivers such as Lyft and Uber can get in accidents while transporting passengers.

Rideshare drivers privately own and operate their personal vehicles. They are independent contractors, not employees of the rideshare company. Similar to other vehicular accidents, the person injured in the crash has the right to claim compensation for pain and suffering, medical bills, loss of qualify of life, and lost wages. But who is responsible for paying those damages?

Florida’s insurance laws are designed to ensure that every vehicle carries a policy that will cover accident victim’s economic and non-economic damages. In 2017, Florida enacted a new law that requires ridesharing drivers to carry insurance above and beyond the state’s standard minimum requirements. The law also provides guidance as to liability coverage when the rideshare driver is engaged in a ride, or when logged onto the rideshare network but not currently engaged in a ride.