Ride Share

Lynnwood Rideshare & Delivery Accident Attorneys

It’s difficult to deny that rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft and delivery services like Grubhub and DoorDash are extremely convenient. In fact, it’s hard to remember how we got along without them. Accidents involving rideshare and delivery drivers, however, are a completely different story. There are insurance landmines that come up in accidents where you are driving for a rideshare company, a passenger with a rideshare company, or if a negligent rideshare or delivery driver leaves you injured in an accident. The involvement of any rideshare or delivery service can dramatically complicate the insurance process and can lead to very problematic results. If you’ve been in an accident that involved ridesharing or delivery services, reach out to an experienced Lynnwood, Washington, rideshare & delivery accident attorney today.

Limited Liability

The rideshare driver or delivery person behind the wheel of that vehicle that leaves you injured in a traffic accident is often not an employee of the rideshare or delivery company itself. Instead, they may be a contract worker who is technically self-employed. This can complicate issues of liability when these drivers cause a crash and injuries. If you are the driver and someone hit you, there may be very different coverages available to you, or some coverages you expect may not actually apply. If you’re a passenger, you can run into both sides of that problem.

Insurance Coverage

If a rideshare or delivery driver leaves you injured in a traffic accident, there are some insurance issues set out by Washington law that might apply. For example:

• If the driver is on the app and is actively engaged in transporting or picking up a fare or making a delivery, the accident will be covered by the company’s insurance coverage, not their personal insurance.
• If the driver is on the app but is waiting to be engaged for service, the company’s insurance coverage may or may not pick up where the driver’s personal insurance leaves off. Unfortunately, the personal insurance will also argue the same thing, often leaving neither willing to cover your bills.
• If the driver leaves the app, his or her insurance policy is the only applicable policy – the same way it would be in any other car accident. However, personal insurance often argues about the purpose of the trip and seeks to enforce their exclusions about coverage.

An important point to keep in mind is that many rideshare and delivery drivers toggle back and forth between and in and out of apps. In the realm of the gig economy, it is common to work for multiple companies and to be on the lookout for a better paying gig at any given time, which only serves to further complicate the matter of insurance coverage.

In addition, if you’re the driver for a rideshare or delivery service, your personal auto policy, your PIP coverage, and your health insurance, all likely have exclusions that say they don’t have to pay for anything related to an accident when you’re engaged in that service. Unfortunately, there’s more grey area than you’d think about what “engaged in that service” means, so there are often battles over coverage with everyone pointing the finger at someone else for payment.

Inherent Risks

There are several risks inherent to rideshare and delivery jobs that can make accidents more likely, including:

• Rideshare and delivery drivers have to hustle to make a living, and this can translate to cutting corners when it comes to safety.
• Rideshare and delivery drivers enter and exit traffic frequently and must make frequent stops, which can contribute to dangerous accidents.
• Rideshare and delivery drivers must be on the lookout for unfamiliar locations and for passengers waiting in their midst, and this can play a role in accidents.
• Rideshare and delivery drivers must interact with their apps behind the wheel, which can prove to be a dangerous distraction.