Rideshare Accident-Related Injuries

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.

In our last podcast, we discussed whether a rideshare company could be held liable if a driver assaults a passenger. In an earlier podcast, we discussed taxi driver assault liability, and before that, we addressed the duty owed to a taxi passenger who is injured in a crash.

In this podcast, we discuss accident-related injuries that happen to passengers during a rideshare.

Ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft are, in most states, not required to have the same insurance as taxi cab operators.

Further, most personal auto insurance policies don’t cover accidents that happen when a vehicle is used for commercial purposes. Therefore, unless a rideshare driver has purchased an expensive commercial policy, their personal insurance is unlikely to cover a rideshare accident.

To operate in Indiana, a rideshare company, classified as a Transportation Network Company (TNC), must maintain specific liability insurance coverage as outlined in Indiana law.

• When the TNC driver is logged onto the TNC’s digital network but not engaged in a prearranged ride, the required primary motor vehicle liability insurance must provide:

– At least $50,000 per person for death and bodily injury.

– At least $100,000 per incident for death and bodily injury.

– At least $50,000 per incident for property damage.

• When the TNC driver is engaged in a prearranged ride, the required primary motor vehicle liability insurance must provide at least $1,000,000 per incident for death, bodily injury, and property damage.

Additionally, the insurance policy must be issued by an insurance company authorized to do business in Indiana or through a licensed surplus lines producer. The policy must explicitly recognize the driver as a TNC driver or acknowledge the use of the personal vehicle for transporting passengers for compensation.

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.”