Greenville Uber and Lyft Rideshare Accident Lawyer
You Deserve a Fair Settlement For Your Rideshare Accident Claim
Greenville’s restaurant and entertainment scene along Augusta Street, the West End, and Main Street has made rideshare services like Uber and Lyft more popular than ever — especially on weekend nights when drivers head downtown to enjoy the city’s bars and breweries. At the same time, Greenville’s rapid growth has turned commuters along I-385, I-85, and Woodruff Road into regular rideshare users heading to BMW, Michelin, GE, and Prisma Health campuses each day.
With more rideshare trips happening across Greenville every hour, accidents are an unfortunate reality. These drivers are not commercially trained, their vehicles are not regularly inspected by a taxi authority, and they technically work as independent contractors — 1099 or gig workers — which creates real complications when something goes wrong.
If your Uber or Lyft ride turned into an accident on any Greenville road, you may be unsure who is responsible and where to even start. That’s exactly what we’re here to help you sort out.
If you got hurt in a rideshare car accident because of someone else’s carelessness, a Greenville Uber and Lyft rideshare accident lawyer at the Hammack Law Firm could help you pursue monetary damages from the liable party.
You might have a claim if you were a passenger in the rideshare car or another vehicle. Also, a pedestrian or person on a motorcycle or bicycle could be eligible for compensation for injuries received in an accident with a rideshare car.
If we take your case, you will not have to pay upfront legal fees. We handle car accident cases on a contingency fee basis, and you will not have to pay us until the case is over and you win.
After a rideshare accident, you may be left with more questions than answers—and more stress than support. You could be dealing with painful injuries, unable to work, and unsure how you’ll cover your next round of medical bills or even your rent. Meanwhile, the insurance companies might be pressuring you to accept a fast payout that barely scratches the surface of what you truly need. At the Hammack Law Firm, we understand the emotional and financial toll this can take on your life. That’s why we approach every rideshare injury case with compassion, clear guidance, and a commitment to fighting for the full compensation you deserve. You’re not just another claim to us—you’re a person who deserves answers, support, and justice.
You can call the Hammack Law Firm today at 864-766-7108 to get started. We do not charge for the initial consultation, and there is no obligation.
How Do You Prove That the Uber or Lyft Rideshare Driver Is Liable for Your Injuries?
The rideshare driver is not automatically responsible for the people who get injured in the accident. The party who has to pay damages should be the one whose carelessness caused the collision. The American Bar Association affirms that we have to prove all four of these elements to hold someone responsible for your physical, mental, and financial losses:
- Duty of care. The defendant must have owed you a duty of care. Every person who drives on public streets has an obligation to operate the vehicle with caution and obey traffic laws.
- Breach of duty. If a person’s conduct fails to measure up to the legal standard, it is negligence. Let us say that an Uber driver drank a few cocktails before logging on and picking up passengers. The Uber driver’s blood alcohol level exceeded the state’s limit. Driving while under the influence of alcohol is illegal in our state and violates the legal duty of care.
- Causation. The negligent act must be the thing that caused or contributed to the collision. Because the alcohol slowed the Uber driver’s reflexes and reaction time, he did not stop in time at a red light. He crashed into the side of a car that had the right of way. The careless conduct of driving while intoxicated caused the accident.
- Quantifiable damages. The plaintiff must have measurable losses. Physical injuries satisfy this element of liability.
How do you prove that each one of these occurred in your rideshare accident? Well, the easiest, most effective way is hiring a Greenville rideshare accident lawyer. Your attorney will be able to examine the circumstances of your case, gather evidence, and determine who the liable parties are.
When Is the Rideshare Company Responsible for Your Losses?
Sometimes, the rideshare company can be liable for the careless conduct of its drivers. If the company was negligent and that carelessness caused or contributed to the accident, the company can be liable. Rideshare accidents are unique in the fact that there are sometimes multiple liable parties, from the driver themselves, the driver’s insurance company or the rideshare’s insurance company, and the driver’s rideshare company itself.
These are some of the types of negligence which may be relevant to your circumstances:
Negligent Hiring
The rideshare company has an obligation to hire drivers who will not endanger the safety of their riders or the general public. To accomplish this goal, the company should perform criminal record and background checks on applicants who want to work as drivers. If Uber did not run these checks, and the driver had DWIs on his record, the company may be considered negligent.
Negligent Training
The rideshare company has a duty to ensure that its drivers have the skills and experience to perform the work safely. This obligation includes training drivers to operate their vehicles without getting distracted by the required equipment, like the security camera and the device they use to access the app. Failure to provide this training can be considered negligence.
Negligent Supervision
The company should monitor its drivers’ driving records and remove dangerous drivers from the road. In our scenario, if the driver got two DWIs while working for Uber but the company did not perform ongoing checks of driving records at reasonable intervals, Uber can be liable. Suppose an Uber or Lyft driver has had many complaints from passengers about safety concerns but chooses not to address the issue. In that case, the company may be liable for any damages that the driver causes.
The Company’s Technology Contributed to the Crash
Sometimes, the company’s app itself contributes to the accident by forcing the driver to take their eyes off the road. This can be because of GPS errors within the app, trying to clear notifications, or the app locking up and crashing. If the rideshare company’s app is faulty and contributed to the accident, the company can be found liable.
The Rideshare Company is Not Liable
One of the most important considerations when determining whether the ridesharing company is liable or partially liable for the accident is whether or not the driver was “clocked in” when the accident occurred. If the driver was off-duty (not using the app) when the accident occurred, finding them liable will be practically impossible.
The legal theories that go into analyzing who can get sued for someone’s injuries after a rideshare accident can be overwhelming. You do not have to sort out these concepts on your own. A Greenville Uber and Lyft rideshare accident lawyer at the Hammack Law Firm can evaluate your injury claim. You can call us today at 864-766-7108 for a free case review.
Damages in a Rideshare Accident in Greenville
We will need to talk to you and investigate your situation before we can calculate the amount of monetary damages you might collect for your rideshare accident injury claim. Every case is different. Another person in the same car as you might have suffered vastly different losses.
Here are some of the types of money damages we have won for our clients:
- Medical bills – the reasonable cost of the treatment you need for your injuries
- Lost income – the paychecks you missed while you were out of work recuperating
- Diminished earning capacity – if you had to take a lower-paying job or work fewer hours because of your injuries or lasting impairment
- Long-term care – if your injuries make you dependent on daily assistance with medical treatments and personal care
- Mobility devices– like wheelchairs, crutches, and adapted vehicles
- Pain and suffering – for the physical discomfort and emotional distress of the accident and your injuries
- Other intangible damages – other non-economic losses, like disfigurement, loss of the enjoyment of life, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Once we know your total losses, we can determine the fair value of your accident and related damages. The rideshare company’s insurance company may reach out to you and offer a quick settlement which may seem appealing at first, only for you to later find it barely covers your medical expenses.
Who Pays the Settlement in a Greenville Rideshare Accident?
South Carolina follows a fault-based auto insurance system, which means the party responsible for causing the accident is generally responsible for paying damages. In a rideshare accident, determining who that is — and whose insurance applies — depends on exactly what the driver was doing at the moment of the crash.
South Carolina law, combined with Uber and Lyft’s own insurance structures, creates three distinct coverage windows:
- Driver’s app was off: The Uber or Lyft driver’s personal auto insurance policy is the only coverage available. South Carolina requires a minimum of $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident in bodily injury liability, but many drivers carry only the state minimum — which may not be enough to cover serious injuries.
- App on, waiting for a ride request: Uber and Lyft must provide contingent liability coverage of $50,000 per person / $100,000 per accident / $25,000 for property damage — but only if the driver’s personal insurance doesn’t apply first.
- Ride accepted or passenger on board: Both Uber and Lyft provide a minimum of $1,000,000 in third-party liability coverage, which is your strongest coverage window.
One layer of protection that is often overlooked by Greenville rideshare accident victims is their own Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) coverage. South Carolina is one of the states that requires insurers to offer UM/UIM coverage, and it can serve as a critical backstop if the at-fault driver’s policy falls short. Our attorneys know how to stack these coverage layers strategically to maximize what you recover.
Why Greenville Rideshare Accident Victims Choose Hammack Law Firm
Uber and Lyft’s insurance teams are sophisticated, well-funded, and trained to minimize what they pay out — especially in complex multi-party accidents. What sets our Greenville rideshare accident lawyer apart is that Paul Hammack spent 15 years on the other side of these cases, representing major insurance carriers before founding Hammack Law Firm in 2008. He knows exactly how rideshare insurers evaluate claims, where they look for weaknesses in your case, and how to counter those tactics before they’re ever used against you.
That insider knowledge has helped our firm recover over $35 million for injured clients across South Carolina — including right here in Greenville, where we are headquartered at 223 W Stone Ave and deeply rooted in the community through organizations like United Way, the American Red Cross, and Hands On Greenville.
South Carolina’s statute of limitations gives you three years from the date of your rideshare accident to file a personal injury claim. But critical evidence — app data, driver logs, dashcam footage, and eyewitness accounts — disappears quickly. The sooner you call us, the more we can preserve and use in your favor.
Call Hammack Law Firm at 864-766-7108 today for a free consultation. There are no upfront fees, and you pay nothing unless we win.
Our Client Bill of Rights offers a 30-day unconditional satisfaction guarantee —no costs and no fees. We serve our Greenville clients in all areas of personal injury, including auto and motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, and boating accidents.
To get started with our Greenville personal injury law firm, please simply contact us online or call 864-766-7108 for a free consultation.
We put the personal back in “personal injury.”