Founding Partner
The Uber driver braked hard on Independence Boulevard. The car behind you did not. Now you are sitting in the back seat with a sore neck and a phone that still shows the trip in progress. The records you save in the next few hours become the evidence for your claim. As a passenger, you should get medical help, call 911, collect the other driver’s information, and save every record the app gives you. North Carolina has specific reporting rules and deadlines, and a Charlotte rideshare accident lawyer can explain how they apply to your crash.
Your First Steps at the Scene
Your health comes first. If you can move safely, get out of the vehicle and away from traffic. Then work through these steps in order:
- Call 911, even if your driver says the crash is minor. The dispatcher can send an ambulance and an officer.
- Tell the paramedics about any pain, even pain that seems minor, and let them check you.
- Get the other driver’s name, address, driver’s license number, and license plate number if you can do so safely. North Carolina requires that driver to share this information with your Uber driver or the passengers in your vehicle. If your Uber driver gets it first, ask for a copy or take a photo of it.
- Ask your Uber driver for the driver’s insurance information. North Carolina requires rideshare drivers to share it with people involved in the crash who ask for it.
- Take photos of both vehicles, where they came to rest, the road, the traffic signals, and any visible injuries.
- Ask witnesses for their names and phone numbers before they leave.
- Write down the officer’s name and the crash report number.
Your Uber driver’s photo, plate number, and vehicle description are already in the app. Take a screenshot of the trip screen before you close it.
When North Carolina Requires a Police Report
State law defines a “reportable crash” as one that causes a death, any injury, or at least $1,000 in total property damage. A crash that injures a passenger meets that definition. The drivers involved must notify police immediately by the quickest means available. Inside Charlotte, the drivers call the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Outside a city or town, they call the State Highway Patrol or the county sheriff’s office.
The legal duty to report belongs to the drivers. You can still call 911 yourself, and you should.
A driver who knows or reasonably should know that the crash injured someone must also stay at the scene until an officer finishes the investigation or says the driver can leave, unless staying would put someone at significant risk of injury. If the other driver pulls away before police arrive, photograph that car and its license plate.
Evidence That Helps a Passenger’s Claim
North Carolina’s rideshare law treats companies like Uber and Lyft as transportation network companies, and it requires the app to give you records you can use as evidence. Once a driver accepts your ride, the app must show the driver’s photograph, the license plate number, a description of the vehicle, and its approximate location on a map. After the trip, Uber must send an electronic receipt that lists where the trip started and ended, its total time and distance, and the fare.
Save these items in one folder on your phone or computer:
- The trip receipt email and screenshots of the trip screen, including the driver’s photo and plate number
- Your photos and videos from the scene
- The other driver’s information and each witness’s contact details
- The officer’s name and the crash report number
- Medical records, bills, and discharge instructions from every visit
- Notes about your pain, missed work, and daily limits, written the same day
The screenshots show who was driving, and the receipt shows when and where the trip started and ended. If someone else booked the ride, ask that person to forward the receipt and screenshots of the trip screen. Save copies before you delete the app, clear your email, or change phones.
What Happens After the Crash Is Reported
The officer who investigates a reportable crash must write a report within 24 hours. That report must include insurance information for the vehicle of any driver the officer identifies as at fault. Keep a copy with your other records.
As a passenger, you can get that report. If the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department investigated your crash, it releases crash reports to drivers, registered owners, and passengers. You complete a request form, then pick up the report with a government-issued photo ID at police headquarters on East Trade Street or a division office, or get it online through LexisNexis. Anywhere in North Carolina, once an officer’s crash report reaches the Division of Motor Vehicles, the Division must give a certified copy to anyone who requests one and pays the fee.
Report the crash to Uber through the app, and take a screenshot of the confirmation.
If an insurance adjuster calls you, write down the adjuster’s name, company, and claim number, and say you will follow up. If you have your own auto insurance, tell your insurer about the crash too. Your policy likely requires you to report the crash promptly and cooperate with your insurer’s investigation.
Which insurance company pays depends on who caused the crash and on North Carolina’s insurance rules for rideshare trips. Our guide to your rights after an Uber or Lyft accident explains those coverage rules.
Common Mistakes Passengers Make
These mistakes cost passengers evidence or credibility, and each one is easy to avoid:
- Saying “I’m fine” at the scene. Describe what you feel and let a doctor decide whether you are hurt.
- Guessing about fault or apologizing. You did not control either vehicle, so tell the officer what you saw and let the investigation reach its conclusions.
- Waiting to see a doctor. A gap of days or weeks between the crash and your first visit lets an insurer argue that something else caused your injury.
- Posting about the crash online. An insurer can use a photo from a weekend outing to argue that you were not hurt.
- Giving a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance company before you understand your claim. You can take the adjuster’s information and call back later.
- Deleting the receipt email or your screenshots. You control those copies, and North Carolina requires Uber to keep its trip record for one year.
If you already made one of these mistakes, keep collecting records and keep your medical appointments. The rest of your evidence still counts.
North Carolina Deadlines Passengers Should Know
These North Carolina deadlines apply after a crash:
- Immediately: The drivers must notify police of a reportable crash.
- Within 24 hours: The investigating officer must complete a written report.
- One year: Uber must keep the record of your trip for one year from the date of the ride.
- Three years: Most injury lawsuits must be filed within three years. For most crash injuries, the clock starts on the day of the crash. It starts later only if the injury did not become apparent, and reasonably could not have been noticed, until later.
- Two years: If a passenger dies, the family generally must file a wrongful death lawsuit within two years of the date of death.
The one-year record rule is the reason to act early. A lawyer can send Uber a written request to preserve your trip data long before the three-year filing deadline arrives.
Talk With a Charlotte Rideshare Lawyer
If you were hurt as an Uber passenger in Charlotte or anywhere in Mecklenburg, Gaston, Cabarrus, Iredell, or Union counties, contact Bradford Law for a free case review with founding attorney Jeremy Bradford. You pay no attorney fee unless we recover money for you.
