Understanding insurance coverage for Uber drivers
Workers’ Compensation vs. Negligence
My name is Mike Ashworth. I am a personal injury lawyer in Oklahoma. Today we’re going to talk about different areas of law and the confusion that abounds within. Today we’re specifically going to talk about the notion of workers’ compensation versus negligence. There is a difference, although there are many similarities.
Let’s say, for example, that I’m an Uber driver and I’m driving Uber. I’m driving my fare, my passenger, and I’m on the Uber app. So I’m on their dime at that point. We have a really bad accident. Someone pulls in front of me. They fail to yield at the red light. They blow the red light. They are right in front of me. There’s nothing I can do. I T-bone them. Now, who’s going to pay for that? Well, Uber will pay for me and my entries as the driver and for the passenger as long as they were on the Uber app at the time it happens.
What happens if they’re not on the Uber app? What happens if the Uber driver is just driving looking for fares and has an accident? Well, then it appears from the Uber policy that they’re not covered because they’re not on the Uber app. They’re acting at that point as just an individual driver. So if you’re an Uber driver, you need to know what’s going to happen.
Understanding Insurance Coverage for Off-App Accidents
I have to Uber because I use a walker sometimes. So I was recently talking to a very nice Uber driver and he was in a situation where he was waiting for a fare. It was just there. It was not on the app at the time and he gets hit. Actually, take it back. He hit someone. Negligible hit. Well, he thought that Uber would cover that because he was on the way to pick up a fare. He was waiting to pick up a fare. Uber said no.
So I understand it. He went to his insurance company and said, hey, okay, I had an accident. I need to put in a claim. And they said no because you are operating under Uber’s auspices to go get an Uber fare. Here’s the easy answer to this. Make sure if you’re going to be an Uber driver, you ask about the insurance coverages that protect you from claims for personal injury.
Contact Us for a Low-cost Consultation
My name is Mike Ashworth. I’m a Tulsa auto accident attorney. TulsaPersonalInjuryLawyer.pro is where you can find us. 918-924-5528 is our number. I’m the only Mike in the office. Give us a call.
