Uber & Lyft Accidents in Metairie | Lawyer Don
Rideshare services like Uber and Lyft have become a common way to travel around Metairie, particularly when visiting restaurants, hotels, shopping centers, and entertainment venues. Drivers are constantly picking up and dropping off passengers in hotel entrances, shopping center parking lots, and along service roads that connect to busy corridors like Veterans Memorial Boulevard and Causeway Boulevard.
While rideshare vehicles are involved in many of the same types of crashes as other passenger vehicles, these accidents often present additional legal and insurance questions. Determining which insurance policy applies may depend on what the rideshare driver was doing at the exact moment the collision occurred.
Why Rideshare Accidents Often Happen in Busy Commercial Areas
Busy shopping centers, hotels, and restaurant areas create more opportunities for these crashes because rideshare drivers are often navigating unfamiliar entrances, service roads, parking lots, and heavy pedestrian traffic at the same time.
Some common scenarios include:
- Sudden stops along busy streets
- Unsafe lane changes
- Collisions while entering or leaving parking lots
- U-turns or back-to-back left turns to reach a pickup location on the opposite side of the road
- Drivers focusing on the rideshare app instead of surrounding traffic
- Pedestrians walking to or from pickup locations
- Passengers opening vehicle doors into traffic
The types of commercial districts in Metairie naturally create more opportunities for these types of accidents because vehicles, pedestrians, and rideshare drivers are all sharing the same limited space.
The Driver's Status Can Affect Which Insurance Policy Applies
One of the biggest differences between a typical car accident and a rideshare accident is that multiple insurance policies may potentially come into play.
Which policy applies often depends on what the Uber or Lyft driver was doing at the time of the collision. For example, different insurance coverage may apply if the driver:
- Was not using the rideshare app
- Had the app turned on while waiting for a ride request
- Had accepted a ride and was driving to pick up a passenger
- Was actively transporting a passenger
Because Louisiana law requires rideshare companies to maintain insurance during certain stages of a trip, determining the driver's status at the time of the car accident can significantly affect which insurance company becomes involved and how much coverage may ultimately be available.
You May Still Have a Claim Even If You Were Not Riding in the Uber or Lyft
Which coverage applies is important for everyone involved in a rideshare accident, not just paying passengers. Anyone injured in the crash, whether another driver or their passengers, may also have valid claims if a rideshare driver caused the collision.
Potential claimants may include:
- Occupants of another vehicle
- Motorcyclists
- Cyclists
- Pedestrians
- Uber or Lyft passengers
- The rideshare driver if another motorist caused the crash
Regardless of who was injured, determining fault generally follows the same legal principles that apply to other motor vehicle accidents. The primary difference is identifying which insurance coverage applies once fault has been established.
How Do You Determine Which Insurance Policy Applies?
Fortunately, this is often easier to determine than many people expect. Uber and Lyft maintain electronic records showing when a driver logged into the app, accepted a ride request, picked up a passenger, and completed the trip. Those records can help establish what the driver was doing at the time of the collision and, in turn, which insurance policy may be available.
In addition to rideshare app records, investigators may also review police reports, witness statements, dash camera footage, surveillance video, and other evidence to understand how the crash occurred.
Because businesses with surveillance cameras or other drivers with dashcams may not retain that footage indefinitely, it is often important to begin investigating a serious rideshare accident as soon as possible.
Discuss Your Uber or Lyft Accident With Lawyer Don
If you were injured in an Uber or Lyft accident in Metairie, whether as a passenger, a driver in another vehicle, or a pedestrian, call Lawyer Don at (504) 508-6414. He can review the circumstances of your accident, help determine which insurance policies may apply, and explain your legal options.
