After an Uber or Lyft Crash in Spartanburg
Treatment comes first. A relative or friend can capture the trip details while you're in the hospital.
- Get to the ER. For serious injuries, call 911 and follow EMS advice. Hold on to records from the ER, follow-ups and rehab.
- Screenshot the trip. Receipt, driver name, car and plate, pickup and drop-off, route, times and in-app messages. Hit by a rideshare car from outside it? Look for an Uber or Lyft sticker in the windshield or a phone mounted on the dash. That helps pin down which coverage applies.
- Note the driver's status. Were you aboard? Was the driver en route to a pickup, or between rides?
- Find out who has the report. Spartanburg Police downtown, the Highway Patrol on the interstate, or a deputy out in the county. Ask how to request it.
- Swap information. Names, numbers and insurance for every driver, plus witnesses.
- Photograph it. Your injuries over time, then each car, the road and the curb where you got in or out.
- No rush to sign. Many people have a lawyer answer questions before agreeing to anything.
Uber and Lyft hold the GPS trail and timestamps. A prompt written request to keep them is worth sending.
Rideshare Insurance Stages in South Carolina
South Carolina requires different levels of insurance coverage for rideshare drivers depending on what the driver was doing when the crash occurred.1 By stage, the legal floors look like this.45
- App off: the driver's own auto policy generally applies, subject to its terms.1
- Logged in, no ride accepted: $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for bodily injury or death, and $50,000 for property damage.4
- Ride accepted, on the way to pick up: at least $1,000,000 in primary liability insurance.
- Passenger aboard: the same $1,000,000 minimum until the last passenger exits.5
Uninsured motorist coverage is also required, and the coverage may be carried by the driver, the rideshare company or both.54
Sometimes three or four policies are stacked on one wreck. 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
Those are floor amounts, not a claim's value. What a claim may be worth depends on the injuries and the facts.
Riders Aren't the Only Ones Hurt
People in the Uber or Lyft, people in other cars, walkers, cyclists and rideshare drivers can all be injured. If someone's carelessness caused your injuries, you may have a claim whichever you were. If you were on foot, see pedestrian crashes in Spartanburg.
Want someone to look at your situation?
Talk with our team about what happened and ask the questions on your mind.
The Filing Deadline
Most personal injury claims in South Carolina must be filed within three years.2 The limit is for filing suit, and adjuster calls don't pause it.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.7 There could be caps on damages under the Act, depending on the facts of the case.8
A lawyer can explain which of these fits your crash.
Talk With Us
We start by hearing about the ride. If you hire us, the insurers can usually deal with us.
We take cases across South Carolina, including Spartanburg County. In town for a game or a campus tour? Treating with your doctors back home is fine, as long as each office sends copies of records and bills. For a crash without a rideshare, see car crash claims in Spartanburg, and for the statewide view, Uber and Lyft crash claims.
Ring us with the trip receipt and the adjusters' names.
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 a million dollars of coverage on every Uber?
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. Lower minimums apply when the driver is logged in but hasn't accepted a ride.4 Which coverage applies depends on the driver's status, the crash and the policies. That $1,000,000 figure is a required minimum, not what any injured person will receive.5
A company I don't recognize keeps calling about my claim. Who is it?
Several insurers can be involved: the driver's personal carrier, a rideshare policy and the other car's insurer. Before answering questions, get the caller's company, the policyholder's name and a claim number. Jot down every call, and hold off on recorded statements and releases until a lawyer weighs in.
Do I report the wreck through the app too?
Both apps have a safety-report button tied to past trips. Stick to short, plain facts, skip guesses about fault and don't say you're fine, since injuries can show up later. Screenshot what you submit, and make sure police came out so there's a crash report.
I was in Spartanburg for a Wofford visit and I'm home now. Can I still pursue this?
Yes, you can keep treating with doctors where you live and pass those records along. The deadline is for filing a lawsuit, and negotiating with an adjuster does not stop it.3 One folder for Spartanburg bills and hometown bills alike.
Can we start by phone?
The first conversation can happen by phone. Our office is on King Street in Charleston.
Sources
This page is general information about South Carolina law, not legal advice for your situation. Every case depends on its own facts.
