What is The Black Car Fund?
The Black Car Fund is a not-for-profit organization created in New York State in 1999 to distribute benefits to traditional black car drivers, including drivers who are rideshare, luxury limousine, livery cabs, and commute vans. These benefits include health and safety programs, and worker’s compensation.
IDG Legal assists drivers who have been injured in an accident claim workers’ compensation benefits from The Black Car Fund.
What The Black Car Fund Provides
- Safe Driving Programs that train drivers on how to share the road and use defensive driving skills to avoid collisions.
- First Responder Training prepares drivers to be ready and able to provide and direct medical care.
- AMBER Alert Response trains drivers on how to proceed if they believe they have identified a missing child or vehicle involved in an abduction.
- Workers’ Compensation Insurance provides lost wages and medical benefits if a driver is injured on the job. It also covers medical expenses, hospital fees, and medication costs related to that injury.
- Driver Death Benefit provides a driver’s loved ones with a $50,000 payment if a driver passes away on the job.
Who Pays for The Black Car Fund
A passenger surcharge is added to every passenger fare, which is then collected by your base and sent to The Black Car Fund on a monthly basis. While the passenger surcharge may appear on your paycheck as a deduction, it does NOT come out of your pay.
How Workers’ Compensation Helps Drivers Injured After An Accident
If you are a driver and get injured on the job, Workers’ Compensation can be paid to you by The Black Car Fund. You can get help in the following ways:
Medical Expenses
In New York, workers who get injured while on the job are entitled to Workers’ Compensation, which helps pay for expenses related to injuries that happen on the job. These include:
- Medical treatment
- Visits to the emergency room
- Urgent care visits
- Follow-ups with doctors or specialists
- Medication and prescriptions
- Tests such as x-rays or MRIs
- Surgery
- Post-operative care
- Physical and occupational therapy
Under the Workers’ Compensation law, your medical treatment is covered without any out-of-pocket expenses, co-pays, deductibles, minimums, or maximums.
Weekly Payments if You Can’t Work
If you can’t work due to an injury occurring while working for a short period of time, Workers’ Compensation can also provide you a weekly payment to make up for what you could’ve made.
Monetary Award if You Can’t Work Permanently
If you can’t work due to an injury occurring while working for a long period of time, Workers’ Compensation can provide you a large monetary award if you’ve suffered permanent injuries.
How to Apply
If you get into an accident, you should first call the necessary authorities and make sure you get any medical attention you need. Then, you should contact IDG Legal to make sure your rights are protected. We can connect you with our preferred lawyer, who is skilled in these types of cases. This service is free for rideshare drivers!
If you need immediate assistance, call our helpline at (646) 687-7587 or tap below and submit a form.
