Rideshare accident intake

Legal information only. Rideshare insurance coverage depends on app status at the time of the crash and state-specific regulations. Always consult a personal injury attorney. See our full disclaimer.

Rideshare accident claim intake

Your rideshare accident claim evaluation

Get a free rideshare accident case review

A rideshare accident attorney will identify all available coverage and assess your claim at no cost. No fee unless you win.

The Uber and Lyft insurance system explained

Rideshare insurance is not one policy - it's a tiered system that changes based on what the driver was doing at the moment of the crash. Understanding the tier determines everything about your claim.

Period 0 (app off): The driver is a private citizen. Only their personal auto insurance applies. Uber and Lyft have no involvement.

Period 1 (app on, waiting for a ride request): Both Uber and Lyft provide contingent liability coverage of $50,000 per person/$100,000 per accident/$25,000 property damage. This kicks in only if the driver's personal insurance denies the claim or is insufficient.

Period 2 (ride accepted, en route to pickup): Full $1 million liability coverage from Uber or Lyft activates. This is the same as Period 3.

Period 3 (passenger in vehicle): Full $1 million liability coverage. For passengers, this is the primary coverage regardless of the driver's personal insurance.

Why you need a rideshare attorney

Uber and Lyft employ teams of claims adjusters and defense attorneys whose job is to minimize payouts. They dispute app status, argue the driver was off duty, and challenge injury severity aggressively. An experienced rideshare attorney knows how to pull the app data showing the driver's status at the exact moment of the crash - this data is preserved in Uber's and Lyft's systems and is subpoenaed early in litigation.

Frequently asked questions

Don't take their word for it. Uber and Lyft maintain precise records of driver app status, GPS location, and trip data timestamped to the second. Your attorney subpoenas this data in discovery. Drivers have been known to misrepresent their app status to shift liability to their personal insurer or to avoid the companies altogether. The data doesn't lie - and if the driver was on the app, the corporate coverage applies regardless of what they claim.

Uber and Lyft classify drivers as independent contractors, which generally shields the companies from direct negligence liability for the driver's actions. However, you can access their insurance policy as a third-party claimant. Additionally, if Uber or Lyft was negligent in its own right - such as retaining a driver with a known dangerous driving history, or having defective software that caused the accident - direct negligence claims against the companies are possible. These are more complex cases but are being litigated successfully.

Yes, if the driver was in Period 2 or Period 3 at the time of the crash. Third parties injured by Uber or Lyft drivers - pedestrians, cyclists, occupants of other vehicles - can claim against the $1 million policy when the driver had an active ride or was en route to pick up a passenger. If the driver was only in Period 1 (app on, waiting), the coverage is $50,000/$100,000. An attorney obtains the app data to confirm which period applies.

Multiple defendant cases are common in rideshare accidents. If both the Uber driver and another driver contributed to the crash, you can pursue both the Uber/Lyft insurance policy and the other driver's personal auto policy simultaneously. As a passenger, you're generally not at fault, which means you access the full available coverage from all liable parties. Your attorney coordinates claims across multiple insurers to maximize total recovery.

Personal injury SOLs apply, typically 2 to 3 years from the accident date. However, the app data showing driver status is the most critical piece of evidence and it needs to be preserved immediately. There's no legal guarantee that Uber or Lyft preserves trip data indefinitely. A spoliation letter demanding data preservation goes out within days of the accident in well-handled rideshare cases. Don't wait.