Rideshare crashes have a wrinkle most people don’t know about: which insurance policy applies depends on what the driver was doing on the app at the exact moment of the crash. Get that wrong and you can leave a million-dollar policy on the table. We’ve recovered millions from rideshare insurers, and we know the playbook.
What we do for you
- Establish the driver’s app status — offline, waiting for a request, en route, or carrying a passenger — using trip records we demand from Uber or Lyft.
- Identify the right policy: the driver’s personal insurance, the rideshare company’s contingent coverage, or its $1 million commercial policy that applies from the moment a ride is accepted until the passenger is dropped off.
- Represent passengers, rideshare drivers, other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians — everyone a rideshare crash can hurt.
- Handle the medical care, the calls, and the paperwork, exactly as we do in any injury case.
What your case may be worth
No honest lawyer can give you a number on the first call. What we can tell you is what California lets you recover, and we’ll give you a realistic range once we’ve seen your medical records and the facts.
- All medical costs, current and future.
- Lost income, including gig income for drivers who can’t work.
- Pain and suffering.
- Vehicle damage and loss of use.
Deadlines that can end your case
- Two years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit in California (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1). Miss it and the claim is gone, no matter how strong.
- Rideshare companies and their insurers move fast to lock in their version of events. Trip data and in-car camera footage can be overwritten. We send preservation demands immediately.
- Your own insurance policy may require notice within days for uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. We handle that notice for you.
What to do now
Whether you were a passenger, the driver, or the person the rideshare hit:
- Get medical care first. Even if you feel okay. Adrenaline hides injuries, and a gap in treatment is the first thing an adjuster uses against you.
- Report it. Police report for a crash; incident report to the property or business for a fall. Get a copy or the report number.
- Photograph everything. The scene, vehicles, hazards, your injuries, and anything that changes quickly (weather, lighting, a wet floor).
- Get names. Witnesses, the other driver, the store manager. People vanish fast.
- Don’t give a recorded statement to the other side’s insurer, and don’t sign anything, before you’ve talked to a lawyer.
- Call us. (818) 230-8380, any hour. We take it from there.
Questions we hear most
I was a passenger. Who pays?
Usually the rideshare company’s commercial policy — up to $1 million in liability coverage while a passenger is in the car — plus the at-fault driver’s own insurance if another vehicle caused the crash. Passengers are almost never at fault, which makes these among the cleanest liability cases we handle.
I’m an Uber/Lyft driver and I was hit. Am I covered?
It depends on your app status. With a passenger or en route to one, the company’s policy applies. Waiting for a request, coverage is much thinner. Offline, it’s your personal policy — and many personal policies exclude rideshare use. We sort this out on the first call.
Can I sue Uber or Lyft directly?
The companies classify drivers as independent contractors and fight direct liability hard. In practice, the recovery comes from the insurance policies the companies are required to carry, which is what we go after.
Hurt in an accident? Talk to us before you talk to the insurance company.
Free case review, any hour, English or Spanish. No fee unless we win.
This page is general information about California law, not legal advice about your situation. Every case is different. Talk to an attorney about yours — the consultation is free.