Your Rights as a Passenger After a Car Accident

SHREVEPORT, Louisiana. Making a claim after a car accident can be challenging enough. But if you were a passenger when an accident occurred, you may have many additional questions. The good news is that passengers are generally not liable for a car accident because they were not driving. If the accident was a single-vehicle accident or if it was a collision between two vehicles, the blame will likely be with either one or both of the drivers. If you were injured as a passenger in a car accident, you may be entitled to seek damages under the law.
Yet, making a claim can be difficult if a friend or family member was driving. If you were injured as a passenger in an Uber or Lyft, you may have questions about your rights and how you can make an insurance claim. What are your options if you have been injured as a passenger in a car accident?
According to Value Penguin, you have several options. Your first option is to file a claim with the other driver’s insurance. However, if multiple people were injured in the crash, the other driver’s insurance limits might be met quickly. If this is the case, you might want to then file a claim against the insurance of your driver. Sometimes these claims can be complicated, however. Insurance companies might want to know who was negligent for the crash and may try to pass the blame onto the other driver. This is where having a qualified car accident lawyer in Shreveport, Louisiana can be helpful. Campbell, House, & Cummins are car accident attorneys in Shreveport, Louisiana who can review the circumstances of your accident, speak to insurance adjusters, and fight to help you get the best possible settlement under the law.
Value Penguin also notes that another option you might have is to make a claim with your own car insurance company. If you have PIP, you may be able to make a claim. However, this should only be done after you’ve exhausted your other options because filing a claim against your own insurance can lead to an increase in your rates. If you were not driving and not at fault for a crash you may not want to put your own rates at risk. You may also be able to use your own health insurance to pay for medical bills. Finally, if both drivers exhausted their coverage, a personal injury lawsuit may be able to cover the gaps in your care and rehabilitation.
What happens, though, if you are a passenger in Uber and have been injured? Uber covers accidents up to $1 million and this includes injuries to paying passengers and also to other parties who may have been impacted by the accident (other drivers, their passengers, pedestrians, cyclists). Lyft also offers $1 million in protection and notes on its website that the coverage is additional to drivers’ insurance. However, if you were a passenger in an Uber or Lyft, the driver may first have to make a claim against his or her own insurance before being able to make a claim against the supplemental insurance. The claims process can sometimes be complicated, especially if insurance companies try to “pass the buck.”
So, what can you do to protect yourself? First of all, know your rights. If you have been injured as a passenger in a car accident, the driver responsible for your accident may be responsible for paying your medical bills, lost wages, rehabilitation costs, and pain and suffering damages. You may be entitled to make a claim against this driver’s insurance or be entitled to seek damages directly from this driver. It can be helpful to have a qualified car accident lawyer help you navigate the legal process. Campbell, House, & Cummins are car accident attorneys in Shreveport, Louisiana who can work with you and your family to help you seek the damages you may deserve under the law. Visit us today to learn more.