What to Do After an Uber or Lyft Crash in Mount Pleasant
Medical care comes first. Someone you trust can grab screenshots and make calls while you're admitted.
- Get treated. Call 911 for serious injuries and follow the EMS crew's advice. Save every bill and discharge sheet.
- Screenshot the app now. Grab the trip receipt, driver and car, plate, map, timestamps and chat. If you weren't the passenger, note anything showing the driver was working for Uber or Lyft. This helps sort out which coverage applies.
- Figure out the driver's status. Riding with them, on the way to get someone, or just cruising with the app open: each can change the coverage.
- Ask the officer for a report number. It may be Mount Pleasant Police, the Highway Patrol or another agency.
- Collect names. Every driver's name, number and insurance, plus witnesses.
- Photograph it. Your injuries as they heal, plus each car, the road and the curb where you got in or out.
- Slow down on paperwork. Recorded statements and releases deserve a second look from a lawyer.
Trip data held by Uber or Lyft may not stay easy to get, so a prompt request to preserve it can help.
Rideshare Trips Around Mount Pleasant
Rideshare trips here often run over the Ravenel Bridge to and from downtown, out to Sullivan's Island and Isle of Palms, and along Coleman Boulevard and Johnnie Dodds. Pickups and drop-offs at busy curbs and crowded beach streets add to the traffic.
Which Insurance May Apply
South Carolina sets different insurance levels depending on what the rideshare driver was doing at the time of the crash.1 These are the minimum liability coverages by stage.45
- App off: the driver's ordinary personal auto policy generally applies, under its terms.1
- App on, waiting: $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for bodily injury, plus $50,000 for property damage.4
- Heading to an accepted pickup: $1,000,000 in combined liability coverage.
- With a rider in the car: the same $1,000,000 combined minimum.5
Uninsured motorist coverage is also part of the requirements, and coverage may come from the driver, the rideshare company or both.54 South Carolina law provides for sharing information about the driver's login status and coverage during a claim.6 These are minimums, not what a claim is worth.
People in other cars, cyclists, pedestrians and rideshare drivers themselves can be hurt too. If you were walking, see Mount Pleasant pedestrian accidents.
Want someone to look at your situation?
Talk with our team about what happened and ask the questions on your mind.
Your Deadline
Most injury claims in South Carolina must be filed within three years.2 The deadline is for a lawsuit, and talking with an adjuster won't stop it.3
A Tort Claims Act suit against a state or local government body generally must be filed within two years, and three years may apply if a qualifying verified claim was filed first.7 Special rules and damage limits may apply too.8
The statewide page covers Uber and Lyft accident claims.
Talk With Us
We start by hearing what happened on the ride. If you hire us, the insurers can usually deal with us, and we talk through your options.
We take cases across South Carolina, including Mount Pleasant and the islands. Our office is on King Street in downtown Charleston, and the first conversation can happen by phone.
Share the trip details and the names of every adjuster who has called.
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 $1,000,000 in coverage on every Uber or Lyft?
Insurance companies I've never heard of keep calling. Who are they?
A rideshare crash can involve the driver's own insurer, a rideshare insurer and the insurer for another car. Ask each caller which company they represent, whose policy it is and the claim number. Keep notes, and consider talking with a lawyer before a recorded statement or a release.
Should I report the crash in the app?
Both apps have a safety report option under past trips. Keep it short and factual, don't guess about fault and don't play down your injuries, since you may not know yet how bad they are. Screenshot what you send, and make sure police were called so there's a report.
I was visiting Isle of Palms and I'm home now. Can I still bring a claim?
Treating with your own doctors back home is fine; just collect the records. The deadline is for a lawsuit, and an insurance claim doesn't pause it.3 Keep bills and receipts from both places in one folder.
Sources
This page is general information about South Carolina law, not legal advice for your situation. Every case depends on its own facts.
