What to Do After a Rideshare Crash Near Hilton Head
Medical care first. A travel companion or relative can save the details while you're treated.
- 911 and the ER. Follow EMS's advice, then keep the follow-up and rehab visits.
- The trip, in screenshots. Receipt, driver name, car, plate, pickup and drop-off, route, times and any in-app messages. If you weren't the passenger, note anything showing the driver was working.
- What the driver was doing. Carrying you? Heading to a pickup? Between rides?
- The report. On the island, ask the deputy or trooper for a report number.
- Names and insurance. Every driver involved, plus witnesses.
- Pictures. Injuries as they heal, plus both cars, the lane and the villa driveway or curb where the ride began or ended.
- Signatures can wait. Many people get answers from a lawyer first.
App records can change or get harder to obtain, so ask early that they be kept.
Where Rideshare Crashes Happen Around Hilton Head
Rides shuttle visitors from the island airport and from Savannah's airport across the Georgia line, carry groups between villas and restaurants, and bring people home from a night out in Bluffton. Rideshare cars are in the same summer traffic as everyone else on US-278, the bridges and the island's parkways and traffic circles.
Which Insurance May Apply
The required coverage depends on what the driver was doing.1 These are the state minimums for each stage.45
- App off: the driver's ordinary personal auto coverage generally applies, subject to its terms.1
- App on, no ride accepted: at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for bodily injury or death, and $50,000 for property damage.4
- Ride accepted through drop-off: at least $1,000,000 in primary liability coverage until the last passenger gets out.5
Uninsured motorist coverage is also required, and the coverage may come from the driver, the rideshare company or both.54 South Carolina law provides for the exchange of information about a driver's login status and coverage during a claims investigation.6 These are minimums, not the value of anyone's claim, which depends on the injuries and the facts.
Want someone to look at your situation?
Talk with our team about what happened and ask the questions on your mind.
Not Only Passengers
People inside the rideshare car, in other vehicles, on foot, on bikes and the rideshare drivers themselves can all be hurt. Which seat you were in, or whether you were in a car at all, doesn't by itself rule out a claim.
Your Deadline
Most personal injury claims in South Carolina must be filed within three years.2 Negotiating with an insurance adjuster does not stop the statute of limitations from running.3 Lawsuits under the South Carolina Tort Claims Act generally must be filed within two years, and a three-year deadline may apply if a qualifying verified claim was first filed under the Act.7 There could be caps on damages too, depending on the facts.8
Talk With Us
Start with where you were picked up and where you were going. If you hire us, the insurers can usually deal with us.
We take cases across South Carolina, including Hilton Head, Bluffton and the rest of southern Beaufort County. Our office is on King Street in Charleston. The first conversation can happen by phone. See South Carolina Uber and Lyft accident claims and, for a regular car crash, car accidents on Hilton Head.
Call and tell us what each insurer has said so far.
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?
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. When a driver is logged into the app and available but hasn't accepted a ride, the required amounts are lower.4 The law sets a floor for the policy; it says nothing about the size of your claim.5
An insurer I don't recognize keeps calling. Who is it?
A rideshare wreck can involve the driver's own carrier, a company writing the rideshare coverage and the insurer for another car. Write down the caller's name, the company, the policyholder and a claim number. A recorded statement can wait until you've had legal advice.
Should I report the crash through the app?
You can, from your trip history. A few factual lines are enough. Leave fault out of it, and don't play down your injuries this early. Keep a screenshot of the report, and make sure a deputy or trooper came out so there's an official crash report too.
We were on vacation and we're home now. Can I still bring a claim?
Yes. Keep treating with your doctors at home and gather their records and bills along with the ones from the island. The time to file is for a lawsuit, and an insurance claim doesn't stop it.3
Sources
This page is general information about South Carolina law, not legal advice for your situation. Every case depends on its own facts.
