First Steps After an Uber or Lyft Crash in North Charleston
Care first. A friend can save the details.
- Call 911. Follow EMS advice.
- Screenshot the receipt, driver, car and plate.
- Capture the route, times and app messages.
- Not a passenger? Note any Uber or Lyft sticker.
- Was the driver headed to a pickup?
- Report number? Get it.
- Get every driver's insurance.
- Photograph injuries, cars and the curb.
- Hold off on signing.
Trip data can change, so ask early that it be kept.
Rideshare Trips in North Charleston
Rideshare cars in North Charleston shuttle travelers from the airport, run between the hotels clustered along I-26 and Ashley Phosphate Road, carry workers to early shifts off Palmetto Commerce Parkway and bring people home after event nights. That means interstate merges, crowded pickups and app statuses that flip minute to minute.
South Carolina Law on Rideshare Crashes
Coverage by Stage
South Carolina requires different levels of insurance coverage for rideshare drivers depending on what the driver was doing when the crash occurred.1
- App off: when the app is off, the driver's ordinary personal automobile coverage generally applies, subject to its policy terms.1
- Logged in, waiting: 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.4
- Ride accepted through drop-off: at least $1,000,000 in primary liability insurance is required until the last passenger exits the vehicle.5
Uninsured motorist coverage is also required, and the required coverage may be provided by the driver, the rideshare company, or both.54 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 Minimums aren't a claim's value.
Anyone Can Be Hurt
Riders, other drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and rideshare drivers themselves can all be injured. Each may have a claim if someone else was careless.
Time to File
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 Claims against a South Carolina state or local government agency could face caps on damages, depending on the facts of the case.8
More on Uber and Lyft crash claims in South Carolina.
Want someone to look at your situation?
Talk with our team about what happened and ask the questions on your mind.
Talk With Us
Tell us about the ride. If you hire us, the insurers can usually deal with us. Visitors can keep seeing their own doctors back home.
We take cases across South Carolina, including North Charleston. Our office is on King Street in downtown Charleston. Hit on foot? See our North Charleston pedestrian page.
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
Does every Uber ride carry $1,000,000 in coverage?
Some insurance company I've never heard of keeps calling. Who are they?
Several carriers can be involved. Ask the caller's company, whose policy it is and the claim number. Write it down. Consider a lawyer before any recorded statement.
Should I report the crash in the app?
The apps let you report from trip history. Stick to facts. Don't guess at fault. Don't minimize your injuries. Screenshot what you send. Make sure police came too.
I flew home after visiting. Can I still bring a claim?
Yes. Treat with doctors at home and send the records along. Simply opening a claim with an insurance company does not stop the statute of limitations from running.3
Do I have to come downtown to talk?
The first conversation can happen by phone. Our office is on King Street in downtown Charleston, south of North Charleston by way of I-26 or Rivers Avenue. If getting downtown is hard, we can come to you, at the hospital, at your home or wherever works best.
Sources
This page is general information about South Carolina law, not legal advice for your situation. Every case depends on its own facts.
