If someone only needs to ride in a motor vehicle occasionally, using a rideshare service could be a much more cost-effective solution than purchasing a vehicle or even leasing one. Even those who own their own vehicles may use rideshare services for various reasons now and again. For example, rideshare services allow people to make safety-conscious choices after a night out with friends and help people get around in unfamiliar cities.
However, like any motor vehicle transportation, rideshare travel comes with some degree of risk. There could be a crash when someone is in the back of a rideshare vehicle that sends them to the hospital.
Passengers may file insurance claims
Frequently, those affected by a rideshare collision will need to file an insurance claim to cover their costs. The type of claim they pursue will depend on the situation. However, they can potentially get coverage for medical expenses, property damage losses and even lost wages generated by the crash.
Most of the time, they will be able to rely on the commercial policy carried by the rideshare company. Those policies are quite large when compared with the typical coverage on a passenger vehicle. Occasionally, they may need to make a claim against the specialty rideshare insurance coverage carried by the driver of their vehicle. Such policies provide protection during the transitional times when the corporate policy may not apply, such as the minutes before the ride officially begins.
There may even be times when they claim against someone in the other vehicle or a different third party will be the best option. Occasionally, when there are issues with insurance compliance or certain technicalities, like a driver ending a ride before a passenger exited a vehicle, people may end up in court trying to resolve rideshare collision claims. A civil lawsuit can also lead to compensation for someone involved in a wreck.
The party or parties at fault for the crash and the point in the ride when the wreck occurs will influence what insurance policy applies to a particular collision. Understanding the basic rules that govern rideshare crashes can help those who are worried about recouping their losses after an unexpected wreck. Seeking legal guidance is also generally a good idea given how complex the aftermath of rideshare crashes tends to be.