Pleasant Grove Rideshare Accident Lawyer

Pleasant Grove has no FrontRunner station of its own. Train riders use the American Fork station at 782 West 200 South or the Lehi station, UTA's Route 850 runs along State Street, and for many trips the alternative is Uber or Lyft: rides to and from the stations, to Salt Lake City International Airport up I-15, to appointments at American Fork Hospital or Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem, and home from Strawberry Days, the June festival the city calls Utah's longest-running community celebration.

Pickups happen in awkward places: driveways on the east bench, the curb along Main Street, parking lots on State Street, and crowded streets when the rodeo and parade draw people in June. Whatever the setting, the insurance rules are set at the state level. Section 13-51-109 makes Utah's rideshare statute control over any city or county rule for rideshare companies and drivers, with airports the only exception, so a Pleasant Grove crash follows the same coverage rules as one in Salt Lake City.

Coverage Turns on the App's Status

The statute, Utah Code § 13-51-108, sorts every rideshare crash into one of three periods:

• Logged off. The rideshare statute's coverage does not attach, and the driver's personal auto policy is the place to start. Personal insurers may exclude rideshare use entirely (§ 13-51-108(11)), so the exact moment of a log-off can become a dispute.
• Logged in and waiting. While a driver is logged in but not on a prearranged ride, the law calls it a waiting period (§ 13-51-102), and the required liability coverage is $50,000 per person, $100,000 per occurrence for everyone hurt, and $30,000 for property damage.
• Ride accepted through drop-off. A prearranged ride runs from the moment the driver accepts the request until the passenger gets out (§ 13-51-102). For that whole stretch the minimum is $1,000,000 per occurrence in liability coverage, plus PIP and uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage as Utah insurance law requires.

The step from the middle tier to the top tier can come down to seconds, such as a driver who accepted a request while idling in a State Street lot. Uber and Lyft keep the acceptance time, trip log and GPS trail, and those records decide which tier applies. Two more provisions protect injured people: the rideshare policy cannot make coverage depend on the driver's personal insurer denying the claim first (§ 13-51-108(10)), and if the driver's own required coverage lapses, the company must provide it from the first dollar (§ 13-51-108(9)). Our guide to Utah rideshare insurance covers each period in more depth.

Who Can Make a Claim

The rideshare coverage can reach people on every side of the collision:

• Passengers picked up at a Pleasant Grove home, a State Street business or a FrontRunner station.
• Drivers of other cars hit by a rideshare vehicle on State Street, Pleasant Grove Boulevard or the I-15 ramps.
• Pedestrians and cyclists struck by a driver hurrying to a pickup.
• Rideshare drivers injured by another motorist while logged in.

A rideshare driver hurt by someone else generally claims against the at-fault driver first and may be able to turn to the rideshare policy's uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage after that. For a crash with no rideshare vehicle involved, our Pleasant Grove car accident lawyer page is the better guide.

Other Utah Rules That Apply

For a passenger with an auto policy of their own, PIP from the vehicle in use comes first: Utah makes the policy insuring the vehicle involved primary (§ 31A-22-309(4)), and the rideshare policy must include PIP during a waiting period or a ride (§ 13-51-108). PIP pays at least $3,000 in medical expenses whoever caused the crash (§ 31A-22-307; how no-fault works in Utah). Fault is shared under § 78B-5-818: you recover from defendants whose combined fault exceeds yours, less your own percentage. Most injury suits must be filed within four years, but a claim against UTA, UDOT or the city needs a notice of claim within one year (§ 63G-7-402). See our statute of limitations guide.

Pleasant Grove Details That Matter

Pleasant Grove Police, at 108 South 100 East, investigate crashes on city streets, and the Utah Highway Patrol generally handles I-15. The Pleasant Grove Fire Department, at 71 East 200 South, has provided paramedic-level emergency care around the clock since 2008. A citation written after the crash goes to the Pleasant Grove Justice Court at 70 South 100 East, which handles only the traffic case. The closest trauma care is at Intermountain's American Fork Hospital and Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem (a Level III trauma center), with Utah Valley Hospital in Provo designated Level II. A lawsuit, if one is needed, is filed in the Fourth Judicial District Court for Utah County. For injuries that did not involve a vehicle, see our Pleasant Grove personal injury page.

Damages in a Rideshare Case

• Medical costs and income: ER and hospital bills, follow-up care, missed work and any lasting loss of earning ability.
• Non-economic harm: pain, anxiety about riding in a car again, and the activities you have had to give up.
• Future care: surgery, therapy and in-home help when an injury does not fully heal. Our article on what shapes Uber passenger settlements covers the variables.
• A death: when a rideshare crash is fatal, the family may bring a wrongful death claim.