Injured as a Rideshare Passenger? Why You Shouldn’t Sign Anything from Insurance Yet

You can give away your rights in the blink of an eye, and that’s just what insurance companies want you to do. They’d like nothing better than to see you lose your rights before you even fully appreciate what they are. So they may offer something that seems very tempting to get you to give in immediately.

Don’t fall for it. If you were hurt while you were a passenger in an Uber or Lyft vehicle, there are substantial insurance resources available to cover your medical needs as well as your pain, suffering, and emotional anguish. If you say the wrong thing to the insurance company, you could lose those resources. If you sign the wrong document, you might get cheated out of a full recovery or stuck with nothing.

While the insurance company may try to make you feel like you need to rush to secure your recovery, you do have enough time to consult a dedicated attorney and learn about your rights before you sign anything. It is not a good idea to delay acting, but you need to make sure you’re taking the right actions to protect yourself.

Why Do You Need to Be Nervous When Insurance Adjusters Seem Friendly?

Friendless on the part of insurance company representatives is a cruel joke.

At Michael M. Day Law Firm, we believe that most insurance adjusters are actors hoping to make their big break. While they wait for their on-screen career to take off, they practice their acting skills by pretending to care about the people who’ve been hurt in car accidents involving one of their policyholders. They are very convincing!

When you talk to an insurance company representative who is asking about your health or establishing common ground with you in a friendly way, remember—they work for a company with goals that are the direct opposite of your own. You want to obtain fair compensation for the pain and disruption to your life and the expenses you will incur because of your injuries. They want you to walk away empty-handed. If they can get you out of the way quickly, they may be willing to pay a small amount, but it very likely will not be enough to meet your medical expenses, let alone compensate you for lost earnings, suffering, or other consequences. It is not until later, when the insurance company realizes that your lawyer is prepared to win in court, that the insurer will make a settlement offer that provides reasonable compensation for your losses.

What Should You Beware of When Talking to the Insurance Company?

There are a few ways insurance company representatives could try to trick you during a casual conversation:

• They say, “How are you?” and when you provide the standard polite response, “I’m fine,” they use that as “evidence” that you’ve admitted you’re not actually injured
• They ask if you would mind if the conversation were recorded, saying it’s just standard practice or for quality control. In reality, they take anything you say in a recorded statement and use it to argue that you are admitting partial fault.
• They tell you that you need to sign a medical release form so they can pay for medical costs. But the form gives them full authorization to see ALL of your medical records. They comb through your medical history looking for ways to claim that your current injuries are actually pre-existing conditions
• They offer a check as a “down payment,” say it’s to “get you started,” or use something else that implies there will be more to come. But once you accept it, their obligation is over, and you won’t receive any additional help, even if you have years of surgery or other medical expenses ahead.

Why Cashing a Check Could Be a Disaster

The danger is in the fine print that you agree to when you accept a payment. It is scary when the medical bills start piling up, and you have no way to pay them. A check offered by the insurance company can seem like a miracle solution to your problem. But when you sign a release or even endorse a check to cash it, you are signing away your legal rights. When you read the fine print, you’ll see that accepting payment means that you have released the insurance company from further liability.

In the early days after a rideshare accident, you don’t know what the full extent of your injuries will be. Damage such as traumatic brain injuries often doesn’t show signs immediately. You could be facing years of painful recovery or permanent disabilities that aren’t obvious at this point. The insurance companies know this, and they want to limit you to a small amount of recovery before you learn the truth.

FAQs About Insurance Provided for Victims of Rideshare Passenger Accidents

Who is Responsible for Paying if You’re Hurt While on a Ride with Uber or Lyft?

The rideshare companies have insurance policies that pay up to $1 million for injuries in accidents caused by their drivers while those drivers are actively engaged in ridesharing. But their attorneys will probably try to claim that someone else was responsible for causing the accident. If that someone is another driver, their insurance will be responsible for paying.

Can the Insurance Company Deny a Claim from an Accident Victim?

The insurance company might try to deny the claim on the grounds that another driver is at fault or that the passenger did something to distract the rideshare driver.

Do I Need an Attorney if I’ve Already Been Offered a Settlement?

It is a very good idea to work with an attorney if you have been offered compensation because a knowledgeable accident lawyer can assess the value of your claim so you can determine whether the settlement offered is fair or sufficient to meet your future needs. An attorney can also protect you from predatory insurance practices and gather evidence to show why your conduct did not contribute to the cause of your injuries, protecting your settlement from being reduced by Georgia’s comparative negligence doctrine.

Michael M. Day Law Firm Works to Gain Maximum Compensation for Rideshare Accident Victims

Engaging a driver through Uber or Lyft is a responsible action, and it is unfair when that responsible action is rewarded with suffering. Allow our experienced attorneys to help protect your interests during this difficult time. We can focus on getting full compensation from the insurance companies while you focus on healing.

For a free consultation to learn more about protecting your rights after a rideshare accident, call Michael M. Day Law Firm at 404-480-4284 or contact us online today.