What to Do After an Uber or Lyft Crash in Greenville
Treatment comes first. A friend or relative can save the trip details while you're at the hospital.
- Call 911 if anyone is badly hurt. Go where EMS recommends, then keep the ER, follow-up and rehab records.
- Capture the app. Before the trip history gets buried, grab images of the fare receipt, the driver's profile and plate, the map of the route and every in-app chat. If you weren't the passenger, note anything showing the driver was working, like a sticker or the app open on a phone mount.
- Ask what the driver was doing. Carrying you? Driving to a pickup? Waiting between requests?
- Learn who took the report. Downtown, that may be the Greenville Police Department. Near the airport, in Greer or out in the county, it may be another agency or the Highway Patrol.
- Collect insurance details. Every driver's name, number and insurer, plus witnesses.
- Take pictures. Your injuries as they heal, every vehicle, and the curb where you got in or out.
App data can change or get harder to reach over time, so asking early that it be preserved can help.
Where Rideshare Crashes Happen Around Greenville
Rideshare cars crowd downtown on weekend nights and after events, and many trips run between downtown, the hotels on the east side and GSP. Clemson game days and big events add out-of-town drivers who don't know the roads.
Which Insurance May Apply
South Carolina requires different levels of insurance coverage for rideshare drivers depending on what the driver was doing when the crash occurred.1 These are the state minimums:
- App off: the driver's ordinary personal auto policy generally applies, subject to its terms.1
- Logged in, waiting for a request: at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for bodily injury, plus $50,000 for property damage.4
- From accepting a request until the last rider gets out: a $1,000,000 primary liability minimum.5
Uninsured motorist coverage is also required in those periods, and the coverage may come from the driver, the rideshare company or both.54 South Carolina law provides for the exchange of relevant information about the driver's app status and coverage during a claims investigation.6 These minimums don't tell you what a claim is worth.
Passengers, other drivers, cyclists, people on foot and rideshare drivers themselves can all be hurt in these crashes.
Want someone to look at your situation?
Talk with our team about what happened and ask the questions on your mind.
Time to File
Most personal injury claims in South Carolina must be filed within three years.2 Phone calls with rideshare adjusters don't freeze it.3 Tort Claims Act lawsuits against a government entity generally must be filed within two years, or three years after a qualifying verified claim.7 Damage caps and other special rules can also apply.8
See our statewide rideshare page. If the rideshare car hit you while you were walking, see pedestrian crashes in Greenville.
Talk With Us
Where were you picked up, where were you going, and what happened at the moment of impact? We also want to hear what each insurance company has told you.
Our office is on King Street in downtown Charleston. The first conversation can happen by phone. We take cases across South Carolina, including Greenville and the Upstate. If you hire us, the insurers can usually deal with us.
South Carolina Law on This
- South Carolina requires different levels of insurance coverage for rideshare drivers depending on what the driver was doing when the crash occurred: logged into the app but waiting for a ride request, traveling to pick up an accepted passenger, or transporting a passenger. When the app is off, the driver's ordinary personal automobile coverage generally applies, subject to its policy terms.1
- Most personal injury claims in South Carolina must be filed within three years.2
- South Carolina's statute of limitations generally sets the deadline for filing a lawsuit in court. Simply opening a claim with an insurance company or negotiating with an insurance adjuster does not stop the statute of limitations from running.3
- When a rideshare driver is logged into the app and available to accept rides but has not yet accepted a ride, South Carolina law requires at least $50,000 in liability coverage per person for bodily injury or death, $100,000 per accident for bodily injury or death, and $50,000 for property damage. Uninsured motorist coverage is also required during this period.4
- Under South Carolina law, once a rideshare driver accepts a ride, at least $1 million in primary liability insurance is required until the last passenger exits the vehicle. This coverage applies to bodily injury, death, and property damage. Uninsured motorist coverage is also required, but it does not have to equal the $1 million liability limit. The required coverage may be provided by the driver, the rideshare company, or both.5
- South Carolina law provides for the exchange of relevant information about a rideshare driver's app login status and insurance coverage during a claims investigation.6
- Lawsuits under the South Carolina Tort Claims Act generally must be filed within two years after the loss was or should have been discovered. A three-year deadline may apply if a qualifying verified claim was first filed under the Act.7
- Claims against a South Carolina state or local government agency have their own filing deadline, which can be shorter, and there could be caps on damages under the South Carolina Tort Claims Act, depending on the facts of the case.8
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there really $1,000,000 in coverage on every Uber or Lyft ride?
Once a rideshare driver accepts a ride, South Carolina law requires at least $1,000,000 in primary liability insurance until the last passenger exits the vehicle.5 A driver who is logged in but hasn't accepted a ride carries a smaller required minimum, starting at $50,000 per person.4 A required minimum is not what any claim is worth.
An insurer I've never heard of keeps calling. Who is that?
A rideshare wreck can involve the driver's personal carrier, a company that covers rideshare trips and the insurer for any other car. Before answering questions, get the company name, the policyholder it covers and a claim number in writing. Many people talk to a lawyer before a recorded statement.
Should I report it through the app?
The apps let you flag a safety issue from your trip history. Stick to the facts, don't guess about fault and don't say you're fine when you may not know yet. Keep a screenshot of your report. The app report is no substitute for a police report, so make sure an officer came.
I was in town for a Clemson game and I'm back home now. Can I still pursue this?
Yes. Keep seeing your own doctors at home and collect those records. Simply opening a claim with an insurance company does not stop the statute of limitations from running.3
Sources
This page is general information about South Carolina law, not legal advice for your situation. Every case depends on its own facts.
