A car accident claim does not become an entirely different kind of case just because one of the vehicles was an Uber or Lyft. You still need to determine who caused the crash, document your injuries, and identify the losses you suffered. Rideshare involvement can, however, add another layer to the claim.

The biggest differences often involve insurance and evidence. The coverage available to an Uber or Lyft driver can depend on what the driver was doing on the app when the crash occurred. Important information about the trip may also be held by the rideshare company rather than appearing in a police report.

For someone injured in a rideshare accident, understanding those differences can help avoid overlooking insurance coverage or evidence that may be important to a personal injury claim.

The Driver’s Status Can Change Which Insurance Applies

One of the first things to determine after a crash involving an Uber or Lyft driver is whether the driver was actively using the rideshare app.

Illinois treats different stages of rideshare driving differently for insurance purposes. If the driver was using the vehicle personally with the app turned off, the driver’s personal auto insurance will generally be the starting point. Once the driver logs into the app and becomes available for ride requests, rideshare-related coverage may apply. The coverage changes again after the driver accepts a ride and begins traveling to pick up or transport a passenger.

That distinction can matter even when there was no passenger in the Uber or Lyft at the time of the collision. A driver who has already accepted a request and is heading to the pickup location is in a different position from someone who simply has the app open and is waiting for a request.

For an injured person, however, the driver’s status may not be obvious. If you were hit by an Uber driver, for example, you may receive the driver’s personal insurance information at the scene without knowing that the driver had already accepted a trip.

Determining what the driver was doing at the time of impact can therefore be an important part of identifying the insurance coverage available for the claim.

More Than One Driver or Insurance Company May Be Involved

Rideshare involvement does not necessarily mean the Uber or Lyft driver caused the accident.

Imagine that you are riding in a Lyft when another motorist runs a red light and hits the vehicle. The other driver may be responsible for your injuries, making that driver’s liability insurance an important source of recovery. If the rideshare driver contributed to the crash as well, the claim may involve more than one responsible party.

There can also be additional insurance questions when the person who caused the accident is uninsured or does not have enough insurance to cover the injuries they caused. Depending on the circumstances of the trip, uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage associated with the rideshare may become relevant.

The same issues can arise when you are not a rideshare passenger at all. You might be driving your own vehicle, walking, cycling, or riding a motorcycle when an Uber or Lyft driver causes the collision.

The important point is that the first insurance policy identified after the crash may not tell the entire story. A rideshare accident can involve the driver’s personal insurer, insurance associated with the rideshare activity, another driver’s insurer, or a combination of available coverage.

Rideshare Records Can Become Important Evidence

An ordinary car accident investigation often relies heavily on the police report, photographs, witness statements, vehicle damage, medical records, and other evidence surrounding the collision. Those things remain important in an Uber or Lyft accident.

But rideshare claims can also involve electronic information that helps establish what the driver was doing when the crash happened.

Depending on the circumstances, useful evidence may include:

• ride receipts and trip confirmations;
• screenshots showing that a ride was active;
• the driver’s information within the Uber or Lyft app;
• pickup and destination information;
• timestamps and trip history;
• GPS or location information; and
• records showing when a driver logged in, accepted a request, or completed a trip.

If you were a passenger, saving the information available in your app after an accident can be useful. Take screenshots rather than assuming the information will remain easily accessible later.

Other records may need to be obtained from the rideshare company. That can become particularly important if there is a disagreement over whether the driver was waiting for a ride, heading to a pickup, or actively transporting a passenger when the collision occurred.

How an Attorney Can Help With a Rideshare Accident Claim

The role of a personal injury attorney in a rideshare case goes beyond figuring out whether Uber or Lyft has an insurance policy that applies.

The underlying claim still needs to be built. That means investigating how the collision happened, determining who was responsible, documenting the injuries caused by the crash, and evaluating losses such as medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other damages.

Rideshare involvement adds another part to that investigation.

An attorney may need to determine the driver’s status at the time of the crash, identify the insurance policies that could apply, seek records related to the trip, and address situations in which different insurers dispute responsibility for the claim. When multiple drivers contributed to an accident, each driver’s conduct and available insurance may also need to be investigated.

This can be especially important after a serious injury. Accepting the assumption that only one policy applies—or pursuing a claim without knowing that another source of coverage may exist—could leave important questions unanswered.

At The Hayden Law Firm St. Louis Accident & Injury Lawyers, our focus is not simply on identifying insurance. It is on understanding the entire accident and the effect it has had on the injured person, then pursuing the compensation available under the circumstances of the case.

Uber or Lyft Involvement Changes the Claim, Not the Basics

The basic questions after a car accident remain the same when Uber or Lyft is involved: Who caused the crash? What injuries and losses resulted? And what compensation may be available?

What changes is the investigation required to answer those questions. A rideshare accident may involve different insurance coverage depending on the driver’s app status, additional sources of recovery, and electronic records that would not exist in a typical car accident.

If you were injured as an Uber or Lyft passenger or were involved in a collision with a rideshare driver, The Hayden Law Firm St. Louis Accident & Injury Lawyers can review what happened, investigate the insurance and rideshare issues involved, and explain your options for pursuing a personal injury claim.