Got Into an Uber Accident While Riding as a Passenger in Florida? Here Are Your Legal Options

If you’re the passenger in a ride share and that ride share vehicle gets in an accident and it’s their fault, you have the option to pursue a claim against the ride share company. However, the law is written in a way that’s a little bit confusing. You actually have to sue the driver. So, you’ll sue the person that was driving the ride share company, but the insurance company for Uber or Lyft, whoever it is, is going to be the one that actually pays the damages. This was written as a way to kind of be misleading in front of a jury. The thought was that if people are suing Uber or Lyft, the jury may award people more money because it’s a big company that’s paying it. Whereas opposed to if it’s an actual driver for in terms of how it actually works out, it works out the same.

You sue the driver, but Uber or Lyft is going to be the one that actually steps in and pays the damages. If you’re in a ride share accident, one of the things I always tell people to do right after they’re in a crash is go into the app and screenshot all the ride details from that crash itself. Okay? Like for example, let’s say you’re in Jacksonville and you’re in an Uber and you get in a crash and then the police come out and they make a crash report and it’s an hour later, but by the time you get that crash report, the time on the crash report may not say the same time as when that crash actually happened.

So one of the concerns you have when you’re going after the liability of these ride companies is they may come back afterwards and say, “Well, you weren’t actually in an Uber or the app was off and therefore we’re not responsible or our insurance is not going to be responsible for that crash.” And so it’s important that you document at the scene that you were in an Uber, your ride details, and if you can get some photographs of the vehicle and the license plate, etc. Because you don’t want one of those ride share companies to come back and say, “We’re actually not liable. You weren’t in an Uber or the app wasn’t on or whatever reason it was after the actual crash has taken place.