California Uber & Lyft Accident Attorneys
Passengers have rights when they’re injured in car crashes, and that includes accidents involving vehicles from rideshare services like Uber and Lyft. And it’s not just passengers who have rights, either. If you are a driver who was injured in a collision caused by the driver of a rideshare vehicle, we want to help you get the compensation you are legally entitled to. At Berg Injury Lawyers, our California rideshare accident attorneys have helped many people statewide get settlements in insurance claims and injury lawsuits, and now we want to help you.

You May Have a Claim

Auto accident victims are entitled to compensation when they can prove both that they were injured and that their injuries were not their fault. Passengers are generally held to never be at fault for crashes, but drivers can be held accountable for crashes they cause. If you were driving and collided with an Uber or Lyft vehicle, you will need to prove that you were not at fault, or at least not entirely at fault, for the crash in order to recover compensation. An experienced rideshare accident lawyer can help you successfully do so.

Get Medical Attention Right Away After a Crash

It’s very important to always seek medical attention after any car crash, even if you were a passenger and even you believe you are uninjured. Many common injuries from vehicle crashes, especially soft tissue injuries, go undiagnosed for too long because they don’t show symptoms until hours or even days later. Even then, victims of these types of injuries may assume their aches and pains will get better on their own. When they don’t, waiting too long to see a doctor can cast doubt on when those injuries were actually received and what caused them, making it harder to get needed compensation.

What Damages Are You Entitled to After a Rideshare Accident?

If you were injured by or while riding in an Uber or Lyft vehicle, you may be entitled to numerous damages, depending on the severity of the crash, including:
  • Medical expenses, including future medical expenses related to the injury such as physical therapy
  • Lost wages, including future lost wages if your injury has reduced your ability to work or do the same work that you did before you got hurt
  • Physical pain as a result of your injury
  • Mental distress as a result of your accident
  • Property damage

How Much Money Can I Get for a Rideshare Accident?

As with other types of auto accidents, when someone is injured in a rideshare accident, they will need to pursue compensation through the at-fault driver’s auto insurance policy. Most personal auto insurance policies specifically exclude coverage for trips when the policyholder is transporting passengers for a fee, such as for a rideshare service like Uber or Lyft. Thankfully, Uber and Lyft both provide drivers with up to $1 million in liability insurance that will cover accidents that occur while they are on the job. When an Uber or Lyft driver causes an accident, the following coverage limits apply:
  • When a driver is logged in to the rideshare app but hasn’t accepted a ride request yet: $50,000 bodily injury per person; $100,000 per accident
  • When a driver has accepted a ride request, and is in route to pick up the passenger: $1,000,000 bodily injury per accident
  • When a passenger is in the rideshare driver’s vehicle: $1,000,000 bodily injury per accident, plus limited property damage and uninsured motorist coverage
Because the liability insurance Uber and Lyft provides to their drivers is only active when that driver is working, if you are injured by an Uber or Lyft driver when they are not logged into the app, you will likely need to file your injury claim against their personal auto insurance.

Who Pays my Medical Bills after a Crash: the Rideshare Driver or Uber/Lyft?

Uber and Lyft classify their drivers as contractors rather than employees, which can make it difficult to hold these rideshare companies directly liable for accidents caused by their drivers. However, there is a lot of momentum behind reclassifying rideshare drivers and other “gig workers” as employees, which could make it possible to hold the companies they work for liable when their workers cause crashes. In California in particular, a law known as AB5 went into effect in January 2020 that declares that all workers are presumed to be employees, with a burden of proof on the employer to prove that the worker in question should be classified as a contractor. In August 2020, Uber and Lyft were ordered to comply. Both companies fought back, and in November 2020, they won an exemption for rideshare drivers, allowing them to continue classifying drivers as contractors. However, this ruling could be overturned again, or overruled by a future federal law. If you have any questions about who is liable for your injuries after an accident involving an Uber or Lyft vehicle, don’t hesitate to contact an experienced California rideshare accident attorney at Berg Injury Lawyers. Your initial consultation is always free.

Get a Legal Team Who Knows Rideshare Accidents

Rideshare services are convenient and affordable, which is what makes them so attractive, but they are also less regulated. You are just as likely to be injured in a car crash in a rideshare vehicle as in any other vehicle, whether because another driver on the road was impaired, reckless, or distracted, or because your Uber or Lyft driver was. And when you’re injured through no fault of your own, you deserve compensation. Don’t allow the stress of trying to get compensation on top of an injury get to you. At Berg Injury Lawyers, we know what paperwork and forms are needed, how to collect evidence, build a case, and negotiate with companies like Uber and Lyft to make sure you get the money you deserve. Call today to speak to one of our California car accident lawyers for free.