One morning, you decide to use a ridesharing app to commute to work. As you sit in the backseat, your driver suddenly collides with another car. The heavy impact left you with severe injuries.
You might be wondering who is responsible for your damages. Understanding injury laws related to ridesharing can offer helpful insights.
Seeking compensation for your damages
In Washington, the law mandates transportation network companies (TNCs) to meet specific insurance requirements:
- Accident during the ride: If a rideshare driver is at fault while you are a passenger, their TNC’s policy must provide at least $1,000,000 for your death, personal injury and property damage.
- Underinsured or uninsured coverage: If an underinsured or uninsured driver hits the vehicle while you are a passenger, the TNC’s underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage provides up to $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident.
Knowing that the TNC covers your damages can offer peace of mind. Beyond medical bills, you may recover these:
- Lost earning capacity: The money you lose because your injury limits your ability to perform tasks at the same quality you did before
- Long-term medical care: Costs for treatments that you will need in the future
- Pain and suffering: Non-economic damages that include physical pain and loss of enjoyment of life
While these damages are recoverable, the source and limit of the recovery depend on who is at fault.
Moving forward with legal help
Recovering from your injuries is already difficult, and the stress of seeking compensation can be detrimental to your health. Given the complexity of injury laws in Washington and the tactics of insurance companies, seeking legal counsel is the best option to move forward.