I was hurt in an Uber Vehicle – Who will pay for my injuries?

The popularity of ride share services such as Uber raise the question of who is responsible for injuries while traveling as a passenger in an Uber vehicle. If the Uber driver caused your damages, then you can make a claim with the James River Insurance company. They insure the ride-share for up to one million dollars ($1,000,000.00) in liability coverage per occurrence. The James River policy covers the Uber drivers’ liability from the time the driver accepts a trip request through completion of the trip.

This policy is expresslyprimary to the driver’s personal auto policy.This means that the Uber liability policy pays before the driver’s personal auto policy. If you damages exceed the limits of Uber’s liability policy, you have the option of pursuing additional claims against the driver individually and his/her personal liability auto insurance. As a point of interest, it has been rumored that several insurance carriers, including Geico, USAA and Farmers are denying coverage for crashes that occurred while the driver for Uber.

James River also insures Uber and Lyft driver’s with uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM) of $1 million per incident for bodily injury. This insurance applies if another motorist causes an accident while you are occupying a ride-share vehicle and doesn’t carry enough insurance. So, for example, injuries including but not limited to those caused by a hit-and-run accident would be covered by the UM/UIM.

As controversial as ride share services have become, it is exceptional that Uber vehicles are armed with high limits of liability and UM coverage. Rarely would a taxi or private vehicle for that matter carry coverages with such high limits. If you are considering using a ride share service, this should only serve to ease your mind in the event of a motor vehicle crash.

If you were hurt while traveling in a ride share vehicle, we want to help you! Call today for our professional assistance at (813) 991-5099 or visit us on the web at SpinnerLawFirm.com.