Passenger Liability In Uber Accidents

When you’re injured in an Uber accident, the last thing you expect is someone pointing the finger at you. Most of the time, passengers have zero liability when rideshare crashes happen. But there are specific situations where your actions could complicate your injury claim or even make you partially responsible for what happened.

How Passengers Can Be At Fault For Rideshare Crashes

In the vast majority of Uber accidents, passengers are simply innocent victims who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. You’re not driving the vehicle, you’re not controlling the route, and you’re not making decisions that affect road safety. That’s the driver’s job. However, Nebraska follows a modified comparative negligence rule. This means that if you’re found to be partially at fault for an accident, your compensation gets reduced by your percentage of fault. If you’re more than 50% responsible, you can’t recover anything at all.

When A Passenger Shares Liability

There are rare circumstances where passenger behavior might contribute to an accident. These situations don’t come up often, but they’re worth understanding:

• Physically interfering with the driver by grabbing the steering wheel, blocking their view, or hitting the brake pedal
• Creating dangerous distractions through aggressive behavior, fighting with other passengers, or threatening the driver
• Not wearing a seatbelt when one is available, which could increase your injuries even if you didn’t cause the crash
• Providing incorrect or dangerous directions that lead the driver into a hazardous situation
• Being so intoxicated that you interfere with the driver’s ability to operate the vehicle safely

The key question is whether your actions directly contributed to the collision or made your injuries worse than they would’ve been otherwise.

Seatbelt Use And Your Injury Claim

Nebraska law requires all vehicle occupants to wear seatbelts. If you weren’t buckled up during an Uber accident, the defense might argue that your injuries would’ve been less severe if you’d been properly restrained. This doesn’t mean you caused the accident, but it could affect how much compensation you receive for your injuries.

Being Intoxicated As A Passenger

Here’s some good news. Simply being drunk or intoxicated as a passenger doesn’t make you liable for an Uber accident. People use rideshare services specifically because they’re too impaired to drive themselves. That’s responsible behavior, not negligent behavior. However, if your intoxication led to actions that distracted or interfered with the driver, that’s a different story. There’s a big difference between quietly dozing off in the backseat and causing a scene that pulls the driver’s attention away from the road.

How Insurance Companies Look At Passenger Behavior

Insurance adjusters will look for any reason to reduce what they have to pay out. They might review the Uber app data, dash cam footage, witness statements, and police reports to see if there’s any evidence of passenger involvement in the crash. This is one reason why it’s important to be honest about what happened. Trying to hide relevant facts will only hurt your credibility later. A Papillion Uber Accident Lawyer can help you understand how your actions might affect your case and develop the strongest possible claim.

Protecting Your Rights After A Rideshare Accident

If you were injured in an Uber crash, document everything you can remember about the moments leading up to the collision. Take photos of the accident scene, get contact information from witnesses, and keep records of all your medical treatment. Don’t give recorded statements to insurance companies before talking with A Papillion Uber Accident Lawyer. Even innocent comments can be twisted to suggest you played some role in causing the accident or making your injuries worse.

Getting Help With Your Uber Accident Claim

Rideshare accident cases involve multiple insurance policies and sometimes complicated questions about who’s responsible for what. The attorneys at Ausman Law Firm P.C., L.L.O. understand how these cases work and can protect your rights throughout the claims process. Whether you’re dealing with questions about passenger liability or just trying to get fair compensation for your injuries, having experienced legal representation makes a real difference. We can evaluate your case, deal with the insurance companies on your behalf, and fight for the full compensation you deserve after someone else’s negligence left you hurt. Contact us today.