By Dillon Thomas
Click right here for updates on this story
DENVER (KCNC) — Rideshare firms like Uber and Lyft will quickly have to additional shield drivers and riders with higher insurance coverage protection following a sequence of loopholes one Colorado man fell by way of. Gov. Jared Polis lately signed a invoice that may quickly require the businesses to cowl most underinsured drivers and riders when injuries are a results of a collision during a experience.
The laws comes after Brian Fritts, a Colorado man, was badly injured in September of 2020 whereas using in a Lyft. Fritts, who doesn’t personal a car, was using to work in a Lyft when the car was struck by one other on I-25.
The driver who brought about the crash didn’t cease, driving away because the car Fritts was in, rolled off of the interstate. Fritts was rushed to the hospital with injuries to his cranium, jaw and backbone.
“I have complete vehicle PTSD of highways. It is a scary thing,” Fritts advised CBS4’s Dillon Thomas.
Fritts was lucky to survive the crash. However, his medical payments amounted to practically $200,000. After leaving the hospital Fritts assumed insurance coverage from different events would cowl his medical payments. He thought both the motive force’s insurance coverage, or Lyft’s, would cowl the payments due to the truth that he was not at fault for the crash.
Because Fritts didn’t personal a car he didn’t buy motorist insurance coverage that might cowl his payments if injured in one other car. He all the time assumed that firms like Lyft and Uber would have both insurance coverage or insurance policies for his or her drivers that might cowl riders like himself.
Unfortunately, Fritts quickly discovered that he was going to be on the hook for lots of the payments.
“The mailbox always has a new bill from one of the multiple doctors I have seen through the process,” Fritts mentioned.
The driver of the automotive Fritts was in had insurance coverage. However, their coverage mentioned that medical payments attributable to a crash ought to be coated by the celebration at fault. However, due to the crash being a success and run, there was no means to cost the motive force at fault.
From there Fritts’s lawyer, Eric Faddis, hoped that Lyft would cowl the payments. However, after reviewing their insurance policies, he realized Fritts was solely in a position to declare round $50,000 from the corporate. Other than that, Fritts would have to pay out of pocket.
“There was a legal loophole in our statutory scheme in terms of what types of insurance these rideshare companies have to carry,” Faddis mentioned. “I contacted my local legislator and said, ‘Hey look, we need to fix this. We have a problem that is putting tens of thousands of Coloradans at risk. Possibly more.’”
State lawmakers got here collectively to approve the laws that might require the rideshare firms to create one other layer of insured safety for underinsured drivers and passengers who fall into conditions like Fritts.
Polis signed the invoice into law this week. The law is predicted to go into impact earlier than the yr’s finish.
“Now that that loophole is fixed, Lyft essentially has to provide additional protection for riders and drivers who are injured as a result of using their services,” Faddis, of Varner and Faddis Elite Legal, mentioned.
Fritts mentioned he was upset that it took his ache and struggling to expose this loophole. However, he was grateful that others received’t have to expertise the monetary and emotional misery he has.
“Anybody who this happens to, at least in Colorado, now knows that there is a protection. There is a security blanket at the bottom,” Fritts mentioned. “Somebody had to undertake what happened to me. If it had to happen to somebody I am glad it happened to me, and now it won’t happen to somebody else.”
Please notice: This content material carries a strict native market embargo. If you share the identical market because the contributor of this text, you might not apply it to any platform.