What to do After a San Antonio Rideshare Accident

San Antonio rideshare accidents are occurring more often as they become increasingly popular, and knowing what to do after is important. Uber and Lyft are the most popular rideshare companies that have also seen their fair share of car accidents. There are Texas laws that set specific requirements for Uber and Lyft drivers who are hired. If drivers are hired that do not pass all of the requirements and find themselves at fault for a San Antonio car accident, the accident victims are eligible to claim proper compensation.

Rideshare Laws in Texas

Texas law places specific requirements on the drivers for rideshare companies. Potential rideshare drivers must:

• Be at least 21 years old with a valid driver’s license; the state isn’t important.
• Provide valid proof of registration of their vehicle and proof of insurance.
• Be checked for criminal history and driving record. The following convictions within the past 7 years drivers cannot be hired by a rideshare company:
  • DUI
  • Committed a felony with a vehicle or with a property
  • Committed an act of terrorism, violence, theft, or fraud
  • Registered as a sex offender after committing a sex crime

With potential San Antonio Uber and Lyft drivers, if any type of negative information is uncovered during the background check done, the rideshare company has the right to refuse or terminate a driver. If driving violations are discovered that happened in the past 3 years, another Texas law prohibits drivers from being considered:

• Reckless driving charge
• Driving without a license
• Fleeing the police
• Having 3 or more moving charges

Apart from the driver requirements, Texas law requires that rideshare drivers carry proper insurance coverage; this can be through the rideshare company or themselves. The car insurance coverage that is required of all drivers in Texas is a minimum of $30,000 for bodily injury liability per person, $60,000 for total bodily injury liability, and $25,000 for property damage. However, rideshare drivers must carry $50,000, $100,000, and $25,000 respectively. While transporting a rider, the insurance must be $1,000,000 combined coverage; this is normally provided by the rideshare company.

San Antonio Rideshare Accident Causes

Vehicle accidents involving rideshare drivers are more often caused by speeding, distracted driving, fatigued driving, and tailgating. Rideshare drivers are a great alternative to traditional ride options, like taxis and buses, but they are not without faults. When you go to use either Uber or Lyft, you don’t expect to be injured in an accident as a passenger. It is important to know the warning signs of potential driving dangers.

San Antonio rideshare drivers are supposed to follow the rules of the road just like every other driver. Driving recklessly always leads to a car accident, and rideshare drivers should be the last ones to be driving dangerously, especially when they have passengers. If your rideshare driver is speeding to make yellow lights, switching recklessly between lanes to avoid traffic, or not following traffic signs, you are within your right to say something to your driver!

Phone usage is another driving habit all drivers fall victim to, but your rideshare driver should only be using it for the GPS. If the driver doesn’t have their phone mounted, where you can also view the GPS, but in their hand or lap, this is something you should report after the ride is complete. Make sure you let the driver know you feel uncomfortable with the situation too.

Rideshare companies take reckless driving seriously and have different ways of reporting poor driving behavior. Uber and Lyft require that reviews below 4 stars have an explanation of what the driver did wrong during the ride provided. You can leave a review after the ride and report the dangerous driving through the website.

San Antonio Rideshare Accident Victims Collecting Damages

Since victims in rideshare accidents are normally riders (passengers), they are never considered at fault or sharing any type of fault for the accident. In Texas, modified comparative negligence is used when determining the percentage of fault that will directly affect the amount of compensation available to the victims. There are three circumstances that determine which coverage applies to a San Antonio rideshare accident:

• Rideshare driver is alone driving on their own time.
• Rideshare driver is on the clock but has no rider in their vehicle.
• Rideshare driver is on the clock and has a rider in their vehicle.

Since rideshare drivers are independent contractors for Uber and Lyft, they have to use their own insurance if they are involved in an accident while not on the clock. If the San Antonio rideshare driver is on the clock, with no riders, and is at fault for a crash, their own insurance would be used. However, when they have a rider in their vehicle and cause a San Antonio car accident, the passengers are qualified to collect compensation from the rideshare company’s insurance.

Contacting one of our San Antonio car accident lawyers, your free consultation will consist of going over your car accident claim and discussing the first steps. Car accident attorneys can provide the legal assistance victims need to collect a proper settlement amount for their damages. Especially as a passenger in a rideshare vehicle, it can get confusing how to pursue and who to pursue. Any types of damages San Antonio rideshare accident victims experience are eligible for compensation:

• Medical bills and any future medical costs
• Lost wages and any future lost wages
• Rehabilitation costs
• Pain and suffering
• Wrongful death