The rideshare driver’s checklist for handling accidents

We welcome Bryant Greening as guest contributor for this article. Bryant is a lawyer in Chicago, who’s been closely following the rideshare space for a while and has started the organization, Legal-Chicago.com. The article includes a checklist of what to do when you get in an accident and what to do after the accident.

Brake lights on. Brake lights off. You’ve been sitting in standstill traffic for what seems like forever. Your passengers are getting irritated. What do you want me to do, you think to yourself. You’re following the app’s directions; there’s no shortcut. So you wait.

“Just turn off here,” the loudest pax yells from the back. Okay, you nod. You start to turn. And then…BAM! The car jolts forward and jumps up onto the curb.  

The car goes silent but your head starts screaming. What was that? Am I bleeding? Are my passengers okay? I had the right-of-way! There goes my 4.9 rating. You take a deep breath, look in the rearview mirror and confirm, yes, you’ve been in a wreck.  

 

Rideshare Driving Risk

Let’s face it, the more time drivers spend on the road, the more likely they are to be in an accident. You simply can’t avoid every iPhone-using, makeup-applying, burrito-eating driver. Accidents happen and they are bound to happen to rideshare drivers.

For that reason, it’s vital that you understand how to protect your interests at the scene of a crash, where your actions and words can make or break a lawsuit down the road. Before we go over the checklist of what to do when you get in an accident, let’s quickly discuss some basics of traffic and injury law.