Injured as a Taxi Passenger

I’m Katelyn Holub, an attorney focusing on personal injury law in northwest Indiana.

Welcome to Personal Injury Primer, where we break down the law into simple terms, provide legal tips, and discuss personal injury law topics.

If you’re a passenger in a taxi cab that collides with another car, you’ll need to establish the fault of the taxi driver as well as the driver of the other car, and prove your injuries.

As we noted in our previous podcast episode, a taxi driver is almost always insured under a commercial liability coverage policy, commonly referred to as a fleet policy, which includes an endorsement specifically covering the business of transporting people.

In addition to the commercial liability policy carried by the taxi cab company, the taxi driver may also be covered by their personal vehicle policy, unless coverage is specifically excluded.

When there are multiple injured passengers, the total value of all injury claims may exceed the available insurance coverage.

This often happens in bus passenger injury claim situations. If there is insufficient coverage, each injured person may recover less against the negligent driver than what their case is worth.

Also, a person bringing a case against the taxi vehicle owner will likely benefit from a body of law referred to as common carrier liability.

Common carrier liability refers to the legal responsibility of a common carrier, such as a bus or airline, to ensure the safety of passengers and their goods during transportation. If a common carrier fails to exercise reasonable care and this results in injury or loss, they can be held liable for damages.

In most situations, the operation of a taxicab will be governed by common carrier law. This body of law will help establish liability if, for example, the cab was not equipped with airbags and the lack of airbags increased the severity of the injuries suffered in the crash. The same would hold if the taxi did not have seatbelts or if the seatbelts did not function correctly, resulting in more severe injuries.

In our next podcast, we will discuss the liability of taxi operators in cases where a passenger is assaulted during a ride.

I hope you found this information helpful. If you are a victim of someone’s carelessness, substandard medical care, product defect, work injury, or another personal injury, please call (219) 736-9700 with your questions. You can also learn more about us by visiting our website at DavidHolubLaw.com – while there, make sure you request a copy of our book “Fighting for Truth.”