Los Angeles Rideshare Accident Lawyer

If you were just hurt in an Uber or Lyft crash, our Los Angeles rideshare accident attorneys are here to help. Getting injured in a rideshare accident is disorienting — what should’ve been a simple ride caused you pain, medical bills, missed work, and calls from insurance companies that aren’t exactly helping you. Who pays? Is Uber or Lyft responsible? Do you even have a case?

At J&Y Law, we handle rideshare accident claims across Los Angeles and throughout California. We know how these companies operate, how their insurance policies work, and where the coverage gaps are. If someone else’s negligence put you in this position, we want to hear what happened.

J&Y Law: Los Angeles Rideshare Accident Attorneys

J&Y Law has represented injured Californians since 2010. Our attorneys have over 80 years of combined experience handling personal injury cases throughout Los Angeles and across the state, and we understand the specific legal and insurance framework that applies to rideshare accident claims.

We work on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. There are no upfront fees, no hourly charges, and no out-of-pocket costs while your case is pending. If we don’t recover, you owe us nothing.

If you or a family member was hurt in an Uber or Lyft accident in Los Angeles, contact us for a free consultation. We will review what happened, explain which coverage applies, and give you an honest assessment of your options.

Call or text us any time or complete a free case evaluation online. We are available 24/7.

How a Rideshare Accident Differs from a Regular Car Accident

Most car accident claims involve two drivers and two insurance companies. Rideshare accidents are different. They involve multiple insurance policies that activate and deactivate depending on exactly what the driver was doing in the app at the moment of the crash. A one-second difference in the driver’s app status can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars in available coverage — or almost none at all.

Uber and Lyft also spend enormous resources defending these claims. Both companies classify their drivers as independent contractors under California’s Proposition 22 — a ballot measure upheld by the California Supreme Court in July 2024. That classification limits their direct liability, but it does not make them untouchable. An experienced attorney can still pursue a rideshare company directly for negligent hiring, negligent retention, or negligent supervision when the facts support it.

Rideshare accident claims require a different legal strategy than standard car accident cases. The sooner you have someone reviewing your coverage options, the better.

What Compensation You Can Pursue

A rideshare accident claim in Los Angeles may allow you to recover both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages cover costs with a direct dollar amount: medical bills, future medical expenses, lost wages, diminished earning capacity, and property damage. Non-economic damages cover what is harder to put on a spreadsheet: pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and permanent disability.

California follows a pure comparative fault rule, meaning you can recover damages even if you were partially at fault — your award is reduced by your percentage of responsibility. For example, if you were 10% at fault and your damages are $200,000, you can recover $180,000. Our attorneys will work to minimize any fault attributed to you and maximize the value of your claim.

If someone was killed in a rideshare accident, surviving family members may have a wrongful death claim under California Code of Civil Procedure §377.60. These claims allow family members to recover compensation for funeral and burial costs, loss of financial support, loss of companionship, and related losses.

Understand the Insurance Coverage Periods

California Assembly Bill 2293, effective July 1, 2015, created a tiered insurance framework for all Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) like Uber and Lyft. The coverage that applies to your injury depends on which of the following periods was active at the moment of the crash.

Period 0 — App Off The driver is not logged into the rideshare app. Their personal auto insurance applies exclusively. Uber and Lyft provide no coverage. This is treated like any other car accident.

Period 1 — App On, No Ride Accepted The driver is logged into the app and waiting for a request, but has not accepted a trip. Under AB 2293, the TNC must provide primary liability coverage of $50,000 per person for bodily injury, $100,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage. This is the most legally contested period because personal insurers routinely deny claims here, and the TNC’s coverage is limited.

Period 2 — Ride Accepted, En Route to Pickup The driver has accepted a trip and is driving to pick up the passenger. This triggers $1 million in third-party liability coverage and $1 million in uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage.

Period 3 — Passenger in the Vehicle The passenger has been picked up and the trip is in progress. Liability coverage remains at $1 million. However, as of January 1, 2026, the UM/UIM coverage for this period has been reduced.

What California’s SB 371 Changed for Injured Passengers

In October 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 371, authored by State Senator Christopher Cabaldon. The law took effect January 1, 2026. It is the most significant change to rideshare insurance in California in over a decade, and it directly affects how much compensation injured passengers can recover.

Here is the specific change: during Period 3 (passenger in the vehicle), UM/UIM coverage — which applies when the crash is caused by an uninsured or underinsured third-party driver, not the Uber or Lyft driver — was reduced from $1 million per person to $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident.

For context, a single emergency room visit, spinal surgery, or hospitalization can exceed that $60,000 figure. Victims with serious injuries, like traumatic brain injuries or broken vertebrae, may exhaust the available UM/UIM coverage well before their medical costs are covered.

What did not change: if the Uber or Lyft driver caused the accident, the $1 million liability policy remains in place. The reduction applies specifically to situations where a third-party driver — someone else on the road — is at fault and either has no insurance or not enough to cover the damages.

SB 371 was passed as part of a “package deal” that also gave rideshare drivers the right to unionize under Assembly Bill 1340. In exchange for expanded labor rights, passenger protections were weakened. 

What this means for you in practice: if you were injured in a rideshare after January 1, 2026, your attorney needs to identify every available insurance layer — the TNC’s liability policy, the at-fault driver’s personal policy, and your own auto policy’s UM/UIM coverage — before any settlement is signed.

Who Can File a Rideshare Accident Claim in Los Angeles

Anyone injured in a rideshare accident may have a viable claim, depending on the facts. This includes:

Passengers — If you were a paying rider in an Uber or Lyft, you are rarely, if ever, at fault. Whether the crash was caused by your driver or by another motorist, coverage almost always exists. You are protected by either the TNC’s liability policy (if your driver caused it) or the TNC’s UM/UIM policy (if another driver caused it and they have no insurance or not enough).

Pedestrians and cyclists — If an Uber or Lyft driver struck you while the app was active, you have a claim against the TNC’s liability policy. The period active at the time determines the limits available.

Drivers of other vehicles — If a rideshare driver hit your car, you pursue the TNC’s commercial policy, not just the driver’s personal insurance. The TNC’s policy may cover far more than a personal policy would.

Rideshare drivers themselves — If you drive for Uber or Lyft and another driver caused the crash while you were on a trip, the UM/UIM coverage applies to you as well. Uber also provides Occupational Accident Coverage (OAC) under Proposition 22 for drivers injured on the job, regardless of fault.

Why Period Classification Is Contested

Insurance companies representing Uber, Lyft, and at-fault drivers will fight over which period was active at the moment of the crash. The difference between Period 1 ($50,000 limit) and Period 2 ($1 million) is enormous. A driver canceling a trip a second before an accident could shift a claim from Period 2 to Period 1, cutting available coverage by 95%.

Resolving this dispute requires subpoenaing Uber’s or Lyft’s trip data. The app logs every action the driver takes: when the trip was accepted, when it was canceled, when the driver was en route. This digital evidence determines which coverage period applies. Without an attorney who knows how to request and interpret this data, you may accept a settlement based on the wrong period classification.

How Uber and Lyft Limit Their Liability — and Where That Falls Short

Uber and Lyft’s standard defense begins with two arguments: (1) the driver is an independent contractor, not an employee, so the company bears no vicarious liability; and (2) the applicable insurance period provides limited coverage.

The independent contractor argument has legs under Proposition 22, but it is not absolute. California law still allows plaintiffs to pursue a rideshare company directly when:

• The company failed to conduct adequate background checks before approving a driver
• The company continued to allow a driver to operate after receiving complaints about dangerous behavior
• The company’s own platform design — such as distracting in-app navigation or dispatch alerts — contributed to the crash

Common Causes of Rideshare Accidents in Los Angeles

Los Angeles consistently ranks among the most congested cities in the country. Rideshare drivers navigate that congestion while monitoring the app and responding to dispatch notifications — competing demands that produce predictable accident causes:

Distracted driving. Looking at the app for pickup instructions, directions, or surge pricing is a form of distracted driving. Distraction is one of the most common and hardest-to-defend causes in rideshare accident litigation.

Driver fatigue. Many rideshare drivers work multiple jobs or drive during late-night hours when drowsy driving risk is highest. Unlike commercial trucking, rideshare platforms have limited mechanisms to enforce hours-of-service restrictions.

Sudden stops in traffic. Drivers stopping abruptly to pick up or drop off passengers in traffic cause rear-end collisions. Pickup and dropoff zones in areas like downtown Los Angeles, West Hollywood, and the airport are particularly high-risk.

Speeding. Drivers paid per trip have a financial incentive to complete rides faster. That incentive occasionally translates into speeding, especially on freeways like the 405, 101, and 110.

Failure to yield. Left turns and unprotected intersections are common crash sites, particularly when drivers are focused on their app rather than cross-traffic.

Why an Attorney Is More Important After SB 371

Before January 1, 2026, a passenger in a rideshare hit by an uninsured driver had access to $1 million in UM/UIM coverage. That policy could absorb serious injury costs — surgeries, rehabilitation, lost income — without litigation.

Now, with UM/UIM capped at $60,000 per person, victims with significant injuries need to dig into every available coverage layer to be fully compensated:

• The at-fault driver’s personal liability policy
• The rideshare company’s UM/UIM policy ($60,000 per person under SB 371)
• The rideshare company’s liability policy, if their driver shared any fault
• Your own auto policy’s UM/UIM coverage
• Your own health insurance

Stacking those layers requires legal analysis. If you accept a settlement from one insurer without understanding what other policies apply, you may waive rights to the others. An attorney who handles rideshare accident claims in Los Angeles knows how to evaluate every source of recovery — and how to coordinate claims across multiple insurers without leaving money on the table.