# I got rear-ended while stopped at a traffic light...seeking advice



## ABC123DEF (Jun 9, 2015)

Well, I've been driving for Uber since 2014 but have scaled back to part-time. I was driving with a passenger in the back seat and came to a stop at a traffic light. Then -BAM!!!- we were rear-ended by a big Chevy (Silverado?) pickup truck. My car's trunk back fender are destroyed...no other damage to my vehicle and, of course, NO damage to the truck. 

The police were called and a report was filed. The driver of the truck admitted fault on the scene. He admitted to having lost some of the wood planks that he was hauling from Lowe's and was distracted by looking for some of it. My only worry is that I gave the cop my personal insurance policy info - but I have only reported the accident to Uber so far and am going over the incident report that they sent. I have Geico for my personal insurance and I've heard horror stories about drivers having back experiences when Uber is involved. 

How would those of you who have been in app-on accidents proceed? I am also concerned that since I hit a deer in late 2017 that my insurance company will jack my rates up - even though the comprehensive portion of the insurance covered that not even 5 months ago.

I'm a bit concerned because of Uber dropping James River and taking on different insurance companies in different states. 

Ugh.


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## unitxero (Jul 10, 2016)

Do you have ride share coverage with your insurance company?


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## ABC123DEF (Jun 9, 2015)

No, I don't. Go ahead and throw stones.


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## AuxCordBoston (Dec 3, 2016)

ABC123DEF said:


> Well, I've been driving for Uber since 2014 but have scaled back to part-time. I was driving with a passenger in the back seat and came to a stop at a traffic light. Then -BAM!!!- we were rear-ended by a big Chevy (Silverado?) pickup truck. My car's trunk back fender are destroyed...no other damage to my vehicle and, of course, NO damage to the truck.
> 
> The police were called and a report was filed. The driver of the truck admitted fault on the scene. He admitted to having lost some of the wood planks that he was hauling from Lowe's and was distracted by looking for some of it. My only worry is that I gave the cop my personal insurance policy info - but I have only reported the accident to Uber so far and am going over the incident report that they sent. I have Geico for my personal insurance and I've heard horror stories about drivers having back experiences when Uber is involved.
> 
> ...


Sorry to hear what happened


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## unitxero (Jul 10, 2016)

If your rider reports you were in an accident, and then Uber opens an insurance case, your insurance will find out and drop you. Uber's insurance may/may not help you after you satisfy their deductible.

If you open a claim, and there is a police report on this, and says anywhere you were transporting people your insurance company will drop you.

You're on a slippery slope with a back pack full of stones.

I'm not sure what you can do but try and do everything out of pocket and forget involving anyone and just hope the rider, nor the other driver open a claim.


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## ABC123DEF (Jun 9, 2015)

AuxCordBoston said:


> Sorry to hear what happened


Thank you. It was bound to happen sooner or later while the app was on.


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## AuxCordBoston (Dec 3, 2016)

ABC123DEF said:


> Thank you. It was bound to happen sooner or later while the app was on.


How did the rider react?


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## HotUberMess (Feb 25, 2018)

Other driver is at fault, call their insurance company. If they drag their feet, get a mechanic to charge them a daily storage fee for the car.. they move a lot faster then. Not sure why yours would be involved at all? Mine wasn’t when this happened to me.


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## ABC123DEF (Jun 9, 2015)

AuxCordBoston said:


> How did the rider react?


He was actually pretty cool. However, he asked the driver of the other car for money (he got $40 from him) because I was taking from a training session to another place that he was hired. He was a college student and never got to go to the training session. I totally stayed out of that.



HotUberMess said:


> Other driver is at fault, call their insurance company. If they drag their feet, get a mechanic to charge them a daily storage fee for the car.. they move a lot faster then. Not sure why yours would be involved at all? Mine wasn't when this happened to me.


Well, the cop wanted driver's licenses AND proof of insurance to make his report. So, that's where it seems to get a bit confusing. I figured that I needed to report the accident to Uber regardless...in the event the rider wants to sue for getting whiplash or pain and suffering or lost wages or something. I'll just have to deal with it if I get canceled. However, I feel like I did the right thing by the rider first and foremost. I didn't get the other driver's info because the cop said all the information would be in the report. I'm not one to be asking for people's personal information if it's going to be in the report.


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## HotUberMess (Feb 25, 2018)

ABC123DEF said:


> He was actually pretty cool. However, he asked the driver of the other car for money (he got $40 from him) because I was taking from a training session to another place that he was hired. He was a college student and never got to go to the training session. I totally stayed out of that.
> 
> Well, the cop wanted driver's licenses AND proof of insurance to make his report. So, that's where it seems to get a bit confusing. I figured that I needed to report the accident to Uber regardless...in the event the rider wants to sue for getting whiplash or pain and suffering or lost wages or something. I'll just have to deal with it if I get canceled. However, I feel like I did the right thing by the rider first and foremost.


You def need to report it to Uber. Whoever replaced James River in your state will be pursuing the other driver's insurance for payment.

For now, don't worry about your insurance, they may not be involved. They've never been involved in my claims. I've got one open for hit and run right now. My insurance hasn't gotten whiff of me driving yet


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## ABC123DEF (Jun 9, 2015)

HotUberMess said:


> You def need to report it to Uber. Whoever replaced James River in your state will be pursuing the other driver's insurance for payment.


I already reported to Uber prior to making this thread. I figured I needed to try to do right by the rider first and foremost before I did any reporting to my own insurance company. Uber has sent me an incident report by email to fill out and submit. However, my personal insurance information is already on the accident report.


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## Trafficat (Dec 19, 2016)

It seems to be that Uber and Lyft have deactivated drivers even for not at-fault incidents if they have had more than 3 or have had traffic tickets as well. As a result, I am sure many drivers just don't report the accidents.


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

James River is still Uber's insurer in CA for the coming year. As soon as you get the report contact the other guy's insurance company. They are responsible for fixing your car. Tell them you can't work without a car and will want to be paid for missed work. Doesn't hurt to ask.


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## MadePenniesToday (Feb 24, 2017)

The cop should’ve gave you a slip that has both drivers info that includes the other driver’s insurance. That’s how it’s done where I’m from.


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## Uber_Yota_916 (May 1, 2017)

ABC123DEF said:


> No, I don't. Go ahead and throw stones.


You had a passenger in the car. Ride-sharing endorsement doesn't cover you during this time. It's all JRI.


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## ABC123DEF (Jun 9, 2015)

MadePenniesToday said:


> The cop should've gave you a slip that has both drivers info that includes the other driver's insurance. That's how it's done where I'm from.


He told me that the full report would be available at the police station. I don't like asking for people's personal information anyway.



Uber_Yota_916 said:


> You had a passenger in the car. Ride-sharing endorsement doesn't cover you during this time. It's all JRI.


Gotcha. I hope this all works out. I was sitting at the traffic light minding my own business. It would be nice if JRI would get the other insurance company to pay for a rental car for my personal use and arrange for me NOT to have to pay a deductible since I was rear-ended.


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## Beur (Apr 14, 2015)

ABC123DEF said:


> No, I don't. Go ahead and throw stones.


Geico will cancel you and depending on the new insurance company uber is using in your market you may not be covered. James River only matches the coverage of your personal policy, since you don't have a rideshare endorsement it's very very likely JR won't cover you.


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## Richard Pulley (Feb 14, 2018)

ABC123DEF said:


> Well, I've been driving for Uber since 2014 but have scaled back to part-time. I was driving with a passenger in the back seat and came to a stop at a traffic light. Then -BAM!!!- we were rear-ended by a big Chevy (Silverado?) pickup truck. My car's trunk back fender are destroyed...no other damage to my vehicle and, of course, NO damage to the truck.
> 
> The police were called and a report was filed. The driver of the truck admitted fault on the scene. He admitted to having lost some of the wood planks that he was hauling from Lowe's and was distracted by looking for some of it. My only worry is that I gave the cop my personal insurance policy info - but I have only reported the accident to Uber so far and am going over the incident report that they sent. I have Geico for my personal insurance and I've heard horror stories about drivers having back experiences when Uber is involved.
> 
> ...


Rideshare insurance from farmers is only 12 bucks a month. It's worth it. Your insurance shouldn't be involved. Hammer the other guy's insurance . Check for bent frame on your car.
Good luck


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## MadePenniesToday (Feb 24, 2017)

Why are personal insurance and James river being brought up?! The first insurance that you should be dealing with is the other driver’s insurance.


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## ABC123DEF (Jun 9, 2015)

Beur said:


> Geico will cancel you and depending on the new insurance company uber is using in your market you may not be covered. James River only matches the coverage of your personal policy, since you don't have a rideshare endorsement it's very very likely JR won't cover you.


Great. All this conflicting information is making me feel pretty anxious about the whole situation. I figured I needed to at least do right by the passenger for legal reasons and call the police to the scene to get a police report. I just have to deal with whatever comes my way I guess.


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## Richard Pulley (Feb 14, 2018)

I don't think you have anything to worry about since you were Not at fault.


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## ABC123DEF (Jun 9, 2015)

I hope you're right, Richard. I'm ready to get this whole thing behind me!


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## kittenC (Sep 21, 2017)

I just got hit last week too, at an intersection. It was the other driver's fault. This is what I've done so far. We exchanged license and insurance info, I got my rider's info as well. (they called an Uber and left). The police were called but they did not show. I made a police report at the 18th street police station. I felt bad physically so I went to the emergancy after released at 3AM I went home. Next I called a rideshare lawyer for advice, I called the other guys insurance, opened a claim and emailed all neccessary docs they requested including the police report (you can pay $6 and download it a few hrs after completing it). I called Uber and opened a claim. I will probably have to pay that $1000 to get my car repaired thru James River and. JR will have to pursue his insurance for damages. I will be taking my car to a shop approved by his insurance and Ubers James River so there won't be a hassle about the repair shop bill. Since his insurance(State Farm) is being evasive, unresponsive and basically Dickey to me so far, I will be pursuing bodily damage, pain and suffering and loss of income from SF as well as that big assed deductible through my Lawyers. We'll see how it goes entering week 2 of this saga. My advice: seek some Legal advice.


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## I_Like_Spam (May 10, 2015)

kittenC said:


> Since his insurance(State Farm) is being evasive, unresponsive and basically Dickey to me so far, I will be pursuing bodily damage, pain and suffering and loss of income from SF as well as that big assed deductible through my Lawyers. We'll see how it goes entering week 2 of this saga. My advice: seek some Legal advice.


Getting legal advice, or at least advice from your insurance professional is definitely the key.

If you can sue for pain and suffering in Chicago, that's fine, but its not the case everywhere. If you were a Pennsylvania motorist, your own insurance pays your medical bills and you might not be eligible for pain and suffering at all, depending on the exact circumstance.

The rules are different in every state, speaking to professionals in the know is the way to get accurate information.


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## BigJohn (Jan 27, 2016)

You have 3 related but independent issues here:

A) Accident with a rider. You must report this to Uber and follow their procedures. JR will be the primary insurer for you for this. Any deductible or anything NOT COVERED by JR you will need to go after the other party directly for, meaning filing a claim with his insurance company.

B) Accident caused by someone else. Since the insurance in effect at the time of the accident as that provided by Uber, you should have given the policy the JR Insurance information, not your personal insurance information. NOW, they may have requested it and required it anyways, but the first response should have been the JR insurance information.

C) Your personal insurance may now find out that you are using the vehicle for commercial purposes. If they do, they will most likely drop you. AND, if you have any reason to eventually pass on any of this claim to them, they will deny it.

Hope this clears up any confusion being caused by others.


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## Cdub2k (Nov 22, 2017)

BigJohn said:


> You have 3 related but independent issues here:
> 
> A) Accident with a rider. You must report this to Uber and follow their procedures. *JR* will be the primary insurer for you for this. Any deductible or anything NOT COVERED by JR you will need to go after the other party directly for, meaning filing a claim with his insurance company.
> 
> ...


What is JR insurance? And where is the paperwork supposed to be in order to give it to the cop? The only proof of insurance I keep in my car is my personal insurance.


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## BigJohn (Jan 27, 2016)

Cdub2k said:


> What is JR insurance? And where is the paperwork supposed to be in order to give it to the cop? The only proof of insurance I keep in my car is my personal insurance.


Sorry, JR is James River, (or possible Progressive depending upon which state you are in) that is the Insurance provider Uber uses. That information is in the Uber app, or you can print out a copy of it ahead of time.


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## Bently'sDad (Jan 31, 2018)

Uber_Yota_916 said:


> You had a passenger in the car. Ride-sharing endorsement doesn't cover you during this time. It's all JRI.


Your ride share insurance DOES cover you for damage to your car during that time. Your car can/will be fixed by the at fault party and the passenger is cover by JRI. With ride share, you have coverage on both ends to protect the passenger (JRI) and yourself with your insurance company going after the at fault driver for CAR repairs, JRI goes after them for hurt passengers.


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## HotUberMess (Feb 25, 2018)

MadePenniesToday said:


> Why are personal insurance and James river being brought up?! The first insurance that you should be dealing with is the other driver's insurance.


James River will handle them.


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## Uber_Yota_916 (May 1, 2017)

Bently'sDad said:


> Your ride share insurance DOES cover you for damage to your car during that time. Your car can/will be fixed by the at fault party and the passenger is cover by JRI. With ride share, you have coverage on both ends to protect the passenger (JRI) and yourself with your insurance company going after the at fault driver for CAR repairs, JRI goes after them for hurt passengers.


My accident was with a stolen car, from out of state, without insurance and the driver ran from the scene. JRI took care of everything because a passenger was in the car. If I had this accident in the other two phases without a rideahare endorsement I would have been up the creek.


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## Eugene73 (Jun 29, 2017)

is your back and neck hurting. wnk wnk


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## kittenC (Sep 21, 2017)

Uber_Yota_916 said:


> My accident was with a stolen car, from out of state, without insurance and the driver ran from the scene. JRI took care of everything because a passenger was in the car. If I had this accident in the other two phases without a rideahare endorsement I would have been up the creek.


Did you have to pay that $1000 deductible?


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## Uber_Yota_916 (May 1, 2017)

kittenC said:


> Did you have to pay that $1000 deductible?


Yes.


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## kittenC (Sep 21, 2017)

Wow, sorry to hear that. Yes, dealing with Uber insurance can be a daunting task at times. Is your car back on the road now?


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## Rachel Merrow (Mar 27, 2018)

You can check with the insurance provider and know about the coverage to get the details about it.


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## Missy1043 (Oct 7, 2017)

I just switched insurance in Kentucky. I rarely drove for Uber since I have two other jobs part-time. It was at the time of switching insurance that I learned in the State of Kentucky, you cannot get insurance even under a commercial policy because Uber is not covered under commercial. I was taken back by this. I’m glad I know now. I would have died if my car got totaled and only find out I’m not covered and 2 more years of car payments. I’m thinking of switching to Uber eats. I’m close to all the major resturants. Any thoughts?


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## ABC123DEF (Jun 9, 2015)

kittenC said:


> Wow, sorry to hear that. Yes, dealing with Uber insurance can be a daunting task at times. Is your car back on the road now?


No, not yet. I feel like I'm playing phone and email tag with these people.


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## Eugene73 (Jun 29, 2017)

call a liar, er i meant a lawyer. go to phony therapist, file bs claim, and make bank $$$$


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## Skorpio (Oct 17, 2017)

Make sure to tell the garage to check the chassis and the shaft..

High chance it damaged as well..
And its expensive to repair..

This is also why people dont buy accident car..
Overtime, thing gonna falls apart..


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

Missy1043 said:


> I just switched insurance in Kentucky. I rarely drove for Uber since I have two other jobs part-time. It was at the time of switching insurance that I learned in the State of Kentucky, you cannot get insurance even under a commercial policy because Uber is not covered under commercial. I was taken back by this. I'm glad I know now. I would have died if my car got totaled and only find out I'm not covered and 2 more years of car payments. I'm thinking of switching to Uber eats. I'm close to all the major resturants. Any thoughts?


Some personal policies prohibit any commercial driving, so be upfront with your insurer and make sure they will cover delivering food. For example, mine excludes driving for hire entirely, doesn't matter whether it's people, pizzas, packages or papers, no coverage.


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## Qbobo (Nov 21, 2017)

ABC123DEF said:


> Well, I've been driving for Uber since 2014 but have scaled back to part-time. I was driving with a passenger in the back seat and came to a stop at a traffic light. Then -BAM!!!- we were rear-ended by a big Chevy (Silverado?) pickup truck. My car's trunk back fender are destroyed...no other damage to my vehicle and, of course, NO damage to the truck.
> 
> The police were called and a report was filed. The driver of the truck admitted fault on the scene. He admitted to having lost some of the wood planks that he was hauling from Lowe's and was distracted by looking for some of it. My only worry is that I gave the cop my personal insurance policy info - but I have only reported the accident to Uber so far and am going over the incident report that they sent. I have Geico for my personal insurance and I've heard horror stories about drivers having back experiences when Uber is involved.
> 
> ...


No James rivers in your state?


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## ABC123DEF (Jun 9, 2015)

Yes, James River is in TN.


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## here2der (Jul 2, 2018)

So, this incident was from a couple months ago. How did it all turn out?


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## steveK2016 (Jul 31, 2016)

ABC123DEF said:


> No, I don't. Go ahead and throw stones.














kittenC said:


> I just got hit last week too, at an intersection. It was the other driver's fault. This is what I've done so far. We exchanged license and insurance info, I got my rider's info as well. (they called an Uber and left). The police were called but they did not show. I made a police report at the 18th street police station. I felt bad physically so I went to the emergancy after released at 3AM I went home. Next I called a rideshare lawyer for advice, I called the other guys insurance, opened a claim and emailed all neccessary docs they requested including the police report (you can pay $6 and download it a few hrs after completing it). I called Uber and opened a claim. I will probably have to pay that $1000 to get my car repaired thru James River and. JR will have to pursue his insurance for damages. I will be taking my car to a shop approved by his insurance and Ubers James River so there won't be a hassle about the repair shop bill. Since his insurance(State Farm) is being evasive, unresponsive and basically Dickey to me so far, I will be pursuing bodily damage, pain and suffering and loss of income from SF as well as that big assed deductible through my Lawyers. We'll see how it goes entering week 2 of this saga. My advice: seek some Legal advice.


If you were hit and not at fault, do not file with Uber. Just because you reported the accident doesnt mean you have to file a claim with them.

As long as the other driver didnt have cut rate insurance, they will pay. I was rear ended. I never filed a claim with my company only theirs. I didnt pay a penny for repair. The other driver will be the one that pays their deductible for their company.


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## ABC123DEF (Jun 9, 2015)

The other guy's insurance paid...and my car was totaled. I'm now carless - but I have SOME cash in the bank due to them paying for my car (no pain and suffering or lost wages). I'm thinking my Uber days are over, however, and I'd like to have a "real" job again.


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## Eugene73 (Jun 29, 2017)

How’s your back and neck feeling, wink wink


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## ABC123DEF (Jun 9, 2015)

It's too late to pull the ol' back and neck routine...you sign those rights away when you sign to close the deal on payment for the totaled car...if I'm not mistaken.


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## Eugene73 (Jun 29, 2017)

Could’ve would’ve should’ve
Your loss now


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## ABC123DEF (Jun 9, 2015)

Yep. At least I lived through the wreck.


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## here2der (Jul 2, 2018)

Has me wondering how it would've gone down here in Florida, as this is a "no-fault" state.


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

ABC123DEF said:


> It's too late to pull the ol' back and neck routine...you sign those rights away when you sign to close the deal on payment for the totaled car...if I'm not mistaken.


I'm not sure that it works the same everywhere, but I think injury claims are usually handled separately from property damages. I'm not suggesting that you fake injuries, BTW.
Did you push for loss of earnings? On the face of it, you would seem to have a legitimate claim.


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## ABC123DEF (Jun 9, 2015)

Older Chauffeur said:


> I'm not sure that it works the same everywhere, but I think injury claims are usually handled separately from property damages. I'm not suggesting that you fake injuries, BTW.
> Did you push for loss of earnings? On the face of it, you would seem to have a legitimate claim.


No, I didn't. There was another layer of hoops and hurdles and they wanted all kinds of proof. It was starting to become exhausting by this point.


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