California Uber and Lyft Accident Lawyer

Uber and Lyft Accidents Can Happen in Many Different Ways

Rideshare accidents are not limited to passengers riding inside an Uber or Lyft vehicle. A rideshare driver may rear-end another vehicle, make an unsafe turn, run a traffic signal, change lanes without enough clearance, or become distracted while using navigation or the rideshare application.

Other crashes may involve pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, passengers entering or exiting the vehicle, or drivers involved in multi-vehicle collisions. Pickup and drop-off activity can create additional risks when rideshare vehicles stop near bike lanes, intersections, busy curbs, entertainment areas, airports, or other high-traffic locations.

Because the driver’s rideshare activity may affect insurance and liability issues, identifying what the driver was doing through the app at the time of the collision can become an important part of the investigation.

Injured Uber and Lyft Passengers

Passengers generally have little control over how a rideshare collision happens. An injured passenger may be caught between competing insurance companies when the Uber or Lyft driver and another motorist disagree about who caused the crash.

Passenger accidents may involve rear-end collisions, intersection crashes, unsafe turns, speeding, distracted driving, or another vehicle striking the rideshare car. In some cases, more than one driver may share responsibility.

Important information can include the rideshare trip receipt, driver’s name, vehicle information, screenshots from the application, police report, photographs, witness information, and medical documentation.

Learn more about what may happen when you are injured as an Uber or Lyft passenger in California.

What If an Uber or Lyft Driver Hits You?

You do not need to be a rideshare passenger for an Uber or Lyft accident to create rideshare-related insurance issues.

A rideshare driver may strike another motorist, pedestrian, cyclist, or motorcycle rider while waiting for a request, traveling to a passenger, or completing a trip. Determining the driver’s app status can become important because California’s Transportation Network Company insurance framework distinguishes between different stages of rideshare activity.

An investigation may therefore need to determine not only how the collision happened but also whether the driver was logged into the platform and what stage of a ride the driver was performing.

Learn more about situations where someone is hit by an Uber or Lyft driver in California.

Uber and Lyft Insurance Can Depend on App Status

Rideshare insurance is one of the biggest differences between an Uber or Lyft accident and an ordinary car accident.

California’s Public Utilities Commission divides Transportation Network Company activity into different periods. These generally distinguish between a driver who is logged into the app and waiting for a match, a driver who has accepted a ride and is traveling to the passenger, and a driver who is transporting the passenger. Different insurance requirements apply depending on the period involved.

That means simply identifying someone as an “Uber driver” or “Lyft driver” may not answer the insurance question. The driver’s actual app status at the time of the crash can matter.

Depending on the circumstances, a claim may involve rideshare coverage, the driver’s own policy, another motorist’s policy, uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, or several insurers.

Read more about Uber and Lyft insurance after a California accident.

What Happens When an Uber or Lyft Driver Is Between Rides?

One of the most confusing rideshare situations occurs when the driver is logged into the application but has not yet accepted a passenger request.

California’s rideshare insurance framework specifically recognizes this waiting-for-a-match period separately from the periods after a driver has accepted a request or begun transporting a passenger.

This distinction can affect which coverage should be investigated after an accident.

Evidence establishing the driver’s status may include app records, trip information, electronic records, driver statements, and information maintained by the rideshare platform. The exact insurance analysis depends on the circumstances of the collision and the policies involved.

Learn more about Uber and Lyft drivers between rides in California.

Who May Be Liable for an Uber or Lyft Accident?

Liability depends on how the collision occurred.

The rideshare driver may be responsible if unsafe driving caused the crash, but another motorist may instead have caused the collision. Some accidents involve multiple drivers or additional potentially responsible parties.

Questions may include whether the rideshare driver was distracted by the app, failed to yield, made an unsafe turn, followed too closely, or stopped unexpectedly for a passenger. In other cases, another driver may have struck the Uber or Lyft vehicle.

Insurance coverage and legal responsibility are related but separate issues. The existence of rideshare insurance does not automatically mean the rideshare driver caused the accident.

Read more about who may be liable in a California Uber or Lyft accident.

Common Injuries in Uber and Lyft Accidents

Rideshare collisions can cause many of the same injuries as other serious motor vehicle accidents.

Potential injuries include whiplash, neck and back injuries, traumatic brain injuries, concussions, shoulder injuries, fractures, knee and leg injuries, spinal trauma, facial injuries, internal injuries, and other conditions requiring medical treatment.

Some people recover after a period of conservative care, while others may require surgery, physical therapy, rehabilitation, specialist treatment, or long-term medical care. Serious injuries can also affect a person’s ability to work, drive, exercise, care for family members, or perform normal activities.

Learn more about common injuries in California Uber and Lyft accidents and DAG Law Firm’s brain injury practice.

What to Do and What Evidence May Help After a Rideshare Accident

After an Uber or Lyft accident, immediate medical needs and safety should come first. When circumstances allow, it may also be useful to report the collision, identify all involved drivers and vehicles, gather insurance information, photograph the scene, collect witness information, and preserve rideshare trip information.

Screenshots, trip receipts, pickup and destination information, driver details, app notifications, and other rideshare records may help establish whether a ride was underway and what the driver was doing when the collision occurred.

Other useful evidence may include the police report, vehicle damage, surveillance footage, dash-camera video, medical records, employment documentation, and insurance communications.

Read our step-by-step guide on what to do after an Uber or Lyft accident in California.

Case Value and Deadlines After an Uber or Lyft Accident

There is no standard settlement amount for an Uber or Lyft accident. The potential value of a claim can depend on injury severity, medical treatment, future care, lost income, permanent limitations, liability evidence, available insurance, and the number of responsible parties.

Rideshare insurance may provide significant coverage in certain stages of a trip, but the existence of insurance does not automatically determine what an individual case is worth. California’s rideshare insurance requirements vary according to the driver’s stage of app activity, which is why that status can be important when evaluating available coverage.

Rideshare accident claims are also subject to deadlines. The applicable timeline may depend on the parties, injuries, insurance issues, and whether a government entity or another unusual circumstance is involved. Important video and electronic evidence may also disappear long before a formal filing deadline arrives.

Learn more about how much a California Uber or Lyft accident case may be worth and how long you may have to file an Uber or Lyft accident claim.

California Uber and Lyft Accident Resources and How DAG Law Firm Can Help

DAG Law Firm’s California rideshare accident resources provide deeper information about the issues passengers, drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and other injured people may encounter after an Uber or Lyft collision.

You can learn more about what to do after an Uber or Lyft accident, who may be liable for a rideshare accident, Uber and Lyft insurance in California, injured rideshare passenger claims, claims involving people hit by an Uber or Lyft driver, how much a rideshare accident case may be worth, common Uber and Lyft accident injuries, accidents involving drivers between rides, and California Uber and Lyft accident claim deadlines.

DAG Law Firm, APC represents people injured in serious Uber and Lyft accidents throughout California. We can review how the collision occurred, the rideshare driver’s app status, available insurance, trip information, potentially responsible parties, medical injuries, lost income, and other accident-related losses.

Whether you were an Uber or Lyft passenger, another driver, pedestrian, cyclist, or motorcyclist, the rideshare driver’s activity and the evidence surrounding the crash can affect how the claim is evaluated.

You do not pay attorney fees unless we win your case. There are no upfront attorney fees for qualifying Uber and Lyft accident matters handled on a contingency fee basis.

Call (323) 930-2020 or contact DAG Law Firm today to discuss your situation.