Accidents Involving Instacart Driver
Las Vegas, Nevada
Lawsuits against Instacart
If your car accident involving an Instacart driver resulted in a severe injury or if you are a pedestrian injured by the Instacart vehicle, contact our office at 702-432-1000 to discuss your case.
We don't charge for consultations.
You could be eligible for compensation for your medical bills and other damages. Plus, get reimbursed for car repairs, replacement, and alternative transportation.
We represent clients in Las Vegas and other Nevada cities.
What is Instacart?
An on-demand food delivery and pick-up service, Instacart, allows users to order groceries and household essentials from local supermarkets. The service is available through a mobile app ad website.
Instacart has become increasingly popular recently, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, as more people have turned to online shopping and delivery services.
How Instacart works
When the customer places an order via the Instacart app or website, a personal shopper is assigned to the order. The Instacart in-store shopper will then gather the items and prepare them for pick-up or deliver them to the customer's specified location.
Instacart requirements are simple. All you need is to be 18 years old, have reliable transportation, a smartphone, be eligible to work in the US, pass a background check, and have a checking account. Most importantly, you must be able to carry heavy packages.
Instacart doesn't require displaying stickers with the Instacart logo on personal cars during delivery. Instead, Instacart drivers must wear a lanyard or shirt with the company logo or branding while making deliveries.
Does Instacart provide any accidental insurance?
No. Instacart doesn't insure its drivers or personal shoppers.
When driving for Instacart, you must maintain car accident insurance with a minimum set by Nevada state.
If an Instacart shopper is injured
If you are an Instacart in-store shopper and you tripped, fell, and were injured while shopping in a grocery store, do the same as after any slip and fall accident in a store.
Look carefully at the accident area. Were any spills or other hazardous conditions on the floor that caused your accident? Did the store display a warning sign? If not, the store was negligent and liable for an accident. If it happened to you:
- Notify grocery store management about your accident, and make sure they file an incident report.
- Seek medical help.
- Take photos or videos of the accident area from different angles.
- Contact an attorney.
Read our article "Slip and Fall Accidents in the Grocery Store" to learn more about what to do if you trip, slip and fall in a grocery store or supermarket.
Most stores today have CCTV cameras installed and record everything happening in a store, including your accident.
If an Instacart driver got in an accident
In Nevada, the at-fault driver is financially responsible for all damages up to the maximum policy limit. It includes medical bills, lost wages, damaged property, PDTS treatment, and other damages. These rules apply to all accidents involving Instacart drivers.
So, if the Instacart driver caused an accident, the Instacart driver is financially responsible for all damages, and the accident victim files a liability claim against the Instacart driver's car insurance. If another motor vehicle (car, bus, truck, motorcycle, etc.) caused an accident and the Instacart driver is injured, the Instacart driver files a liability claim against the OTHER driver.
What to do after an Instacart car accident?
If you got injured in an accident involving the Instacart driver, then:
- First and foremost, seek medical help. Can you move?
- Take many photos and videos of the accident area from different angles, record the time and date of an accident, and when you can, gather eyewitness information. If you can't, ask somebody else to do it for you.
- Call the police and get an incident report.
- Finally, contact an attorney who has experience handling delivery driver accidents.
In our articles "Three common mistakes people make after a car accident" and "DOs and DON'Ts after a car accident," you will find many recommendations about what to do or not to do after a car accident in Nevada. All these recommendations apply to accidents involving Instacart drivers.
Why do Instacart driver accidents happen?
There are many reasons why Instacart driver accidents happen. The driver could be distracted using a mobile app (distracted driving accidents). Or, the Instacart delivery driver rushed to hand over the package and ignored the road traffic (careless driving / reckless driving). Finally, the driver had little or no experience delivering packages.
Do I need to hire a lawyer if I get injured while working for Instacart?
Not every accident would result in a lawsuit. If you sustained severe injuries, required hospitalization after the accident, suffered intense pain and emotional distress, or your injuries interfere with your ability to work, you need to hire an attorney - if you want to receive full and fair injury compensation.
Also, remember that even minor accidents that result in minimal damage or medical expenses may need an attorney to help negotiate with potentially uncooperative parties.
Part-time drivers, full-time drivers, in-store shoppers - does it affect the liability claim?
Whether you are a part-time Instacart driver, full-time Instacart driver, or Instacart in-store shopper, it makes no difference on the liability claim.
The demand for injury compensation correlates to your medical bills, lost wages, damaged property, and other damages. The maximum limit of the at-fault party liability insurance also plays an important role.
How long should I wait for a settlement after the Instacart accident?
It depends on many factors - the case's complexity, the evidence's availability, and all parties' willingness to settle. It also depends on the insurance company. Large insurance companies take longer to process accident liability claims because of their high claims volume. In some cases, the attorneys could settle your claim within a few months; in others, it may be a few years.
We can help
The attorneys at Heshmati & Associates handled many food delivery driver cases in the last few years.
We take all Instacart accident cases on a contingency basis, meaning - you only pay if we get settlement money.
Call us at 702-432-1000 with any questions you may have.
We serve clients in Las Vegas, Summerlin, North Las Vegas, Henderson, and the rest of Nevada.
Last updated on January 31, 2024.
