Uber and Lyft Accident Lawyer for Los Angeles and Orange County

Rideshare crashes look like ordinary car accidents right up until you try to get paid. Then you discover three insurance companies, a driver who is technically self-employed, and a trip log that decides everything. Fred Yadegar represents passengers, drivers, other motorists, and pedestrians hurt in Uber and Lyft accidents across Los Angeles County and Orange County, and he knows which policy to go after.

The three insurance periods

California requires Uber, Lyft, and other transportation network companies to carry insurance that changes with the driver’s app status (Pub. Util. Code §5433). Everything about your claim depends on which period was active when the crash happened.

App off. The driver is a private citizen. Only their personal auto policy applies, and California’s minimum limits are just $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident (Ins. Code §16056).

Period 1: app on, waiting for a request. The company must provide at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for injuries, plus $30,000 for property damage. The driver’s personal policy may exclude commercial driving entirely, which is why this coverage exists.

Periods 2 and 3: ride accepted, en route to the pickup or carrying a passenger. The company’s $1,000,000 liability policy applies, along with uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. This is the coverage most people have heard about, and it only applies once a ride has been accepted.

The company knows exactly what the app was doing at the second of impact. Getting that data, and holding the company to it, is the first job in every rideshare case.

Who was hurt changes the claim

Passengers have the cleanest case. You weren’t driving, so fault isn’t your problem. The $1,000,000 policy is in play. If another driver caused the crash, their insurance is primary and the rideshare company’s UM/UIM coverage backstops it if they’re uninsured or underinsured.

Rideshare drivers hurt by another motorist can claim against that driver’s insurance and, depending on the period, the company’s UM/UIM coverage. Drivers hurt while online may also have access to the occupational accident insurance Prop 22 requires the companies to carry. It is not workers’ compensation, and it has limits, but it exists and most drivers never ask about it.

Other motorists hit by a rideshare driver need to know the period. If the app was on, you’re dealing with the company’s insurer and its $50,000 or $1,000,000 layer. If the app was off, you’re dealing with a personal policy that might be minimum limits, and your own UM/UIM coverage becomes important. Our car accidents page covers that fight in detail.

Pedestrians and cyclists struck by a rideshare vehicle follow the same logic, usually with far worse injuries. See our pedestrian accidents page for what changes when you had no car around you.

Why the driver’s “independent contractor” status matters

Under Proposition 22, approved by voters in 2020 and upheld by the California Supreme Court in 2024, app-based drivers are independent contractors, not employees. In an ordinary business, an employer is automatically responsible for a driver’s negligence on the job. Prop 22 cuts off that route against Uber and Lyft in most cases.

What’s left is the insurance framework above, which is exactly why lawmakers required it. The practical effect: your claim is usually against the driver, paid through whichever policy the period triggers, rather than a direct lawsuit against the company. There are exceptions, such as a company’s own negligence in screening or keeping on a dangerous driver, but they’re the exception. Fred evaluates every avenue, and he doesn’t let the “contractor” label become an excuse for a company insurer to pay less than the law requires.

Reporting the crash in the app

Both Uber and Lyft have in-app crash reporting under the trip’s help or safety menu. Use it. It creates a timestamped record and starts the company’s insurance process. Keep it factual: where, when, and that you were injured. Do not describe your injuries as minor, do not speculate about fault, and do not agree to a recorded interview with the company’s claims team. Screenshot the trip details, the driver’s name and photo, the license plate, and the receipt before the ride disappears from your history.

What to do right now

• Call 911 and get a police report, even for a “minor” crash. The report ties the driver, the vehicle, and the time together.
• Screenshot the trip in the app: driver, plate, pickup and drop-off, timestamps, and the receipt.
• Report the crash through the app’s safety or help feature, briefly and factually.
• Photograph all vehicles, the scene, and your injuries.
• Get contact information from the other driver and any witnesses, including other passengers.
• See a doctor the same day and follow the treatment plan.
• Don’t give recorded statements to any insurer, the driver’s or the company’s, before speaking with a lawyer.
• Save every message from Uber, Lyft, or their insurers.

Why call Fred

Rideshare claims reward the lawyer who identifies the right policy in the first week and refuses to let the insurers point at each other for a year. Fred Yadegar handles Uber and Lyft accident claims for people across Los Angeles and Orange County on a contingency fee, so there is no upfront cost. If you don’t get paid, we don’t get paid. When the company’s insurer starts stalling, our insurance company disputes page explains the deadlines it must meet.