In Missouri, individuals injured in a rideshare vehicle accident, whether as a passenger in an Uber or Lyft vehicle or as a driver or passenger in another vehicle involved, have legal recourse for pursuing compensation. Since Missouri follows an at-fault system for motor vehicle accidents, an injured party must prove that the negligence of the rideshare vehicle’s driver caused the accident to claim damages.

One important factor in rideshare accident cases is that drivers are classified as independent contractors, not employees of the transportation network company (TNC), such as Uber or Lyft. This means vicarious liability, which holds an employer responsible for an employee’s negligent acts, does not apply to a TNC.

Missouri Revised Statutes 379.1702 requires rideshare drivers to maintain certain minimum levels of insurance coverage. However, this requirement can be satisfied by the insurance coverage that Uber and Lyft provide for their drivers. Company coverage depends on the driver's status in relation to the rideshare app at the time of the accident, as follows.

1. The driver is offline and not using the rideshare app — No coverage from the TNC applies. The driver's personal auto insurance must cover any accidents during this period. 
2. The driver is logged into the app but has not yet accepted a ride request — The TNC's insurance provides coverage, but it is limited to $50,000 for bodily injury per person, $100,000 for bodily injury per accident and $25,000 for property damage.
3. The driver has accepted a ride request, is en route to pick up a passenger or is transporting a passenger — Uber and Lyft provide up to $1 million in liability coverage, including for bodily injury and property damage. This $1 million coverage applies from the moment the driver accepts a ride until the passenger is dropped off.

Some personal insurance policies may exclude coverage if the vehicle is used for commercial purposes. However, a driver might have purchased a policy rider that extends their personal auto insurance coverage to include commercial driving situations.

In some cases, the fault for an accident may be shared between the rideshare driver and the driver of another vehicle involved in the collision. Missouri follows a comparative fault rule, which means that an injured party can still recover damages even if they are partially at fault, but the amount of damages awarded will be reduced by their percentage of negligence leading to the crash.

If more than one party is responsible for the accident, the injured person may need to file claims against both drivers’ insurance policies. The damages will then be apportioned according to each party’s level of responsibility for the accident. An experienced automobile injury attorney can help assess fault, identify available insurance coverage and negotiate a settlement that fairly reimburses the injured party.

If you need compensation for injuries sustained in a rideshare accident, call the Guirl Law Firm any time, 24 hours a day at [ln::phone] or contact us online to schedule your free initial consultation.