What Happens to a Passenger in a Taxi Accident?
You hail a taxi because you’re running late for an appointment. The driver is speeding along, making turns and passing traffic to get you to your appointment on time. Out of nowhere, a car runs a red light and crashes into the side of the taxi. You suffer serious injuries, lose time from work and have mounting medical bills...
What Happens to a Passenger in a Taxi Accident?
You hail a taxi because you’re running late for an appointment. The driver is speeding along, making turns and passing traffic to get you to your appointment on time. Out of nowhere, a car runs a red light and crashes into the side of the taxi. You suffer serious injuries, lose time from work and have mounting medical bills. Who is going to pay for those bills?
Filing a Claim
Since you were the passenger in the vehicle, you don’t have to prove responsibility. You weren’t driving, so you couldn’t have caused the accident. This fact makes the process somewhat easier. However, responsibility will still have to be determined to make that person’s insurance pay for the injuries.
As a passenger, you can file a claim with all of the drivers who were involved. Get the insurance information from all involved parties to make filing a lot easier. If the taxi driver was at fault, they would be the party responsible for the claim. If it was the other person’s fault, their insurance provider would be responsible.
In a No-Fault State
In a no-fault state, each party pays for their own damages regardless of who is at fault. As the passenger, you would file a claim with the taxi driver’s insurance company under the Personal Injury Protection (PIP) portion of the policy.
Issues You May Face
As a passenger in a taxi cab, you may face some unique challenges to your case. First, there’s the matter of who is at fault. If both parties argue that the other is at fault or if they share the blame, the case may have to go to court to determine how much each party must pay. You could be waiting for some time before you receive compensation for your injuries.
A second and even more serious problem is when the claim is exhausted. If there were multiple passengers involved, you may receive only a portion of the claim. Most insurance companies put a limit on payout for passengers. The policy may stipulate something like $25,000 per person or $50,000 per accident. If there were five passengers, they would have to divide the $50,000, which likely would not cover all of the medical expenses in a serious accident. The passengers would have the choice of settling for less than their claim or initiating a lawsuit against the driver.
Because of the complexity of this situation, it’s a good idea to hire an attorney early on after suffering an injury. They can review the case and let you know the best way to proceed. An attorney will fight for your rights and any compensation you are entitled to.