Rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft make it easy to get around Missouri, but accidents involving rideshare vehicles can create complicated insurance questions.
Unlike an ordinary car accident, the amount and type of insurance coverage available after an Uber or Lyft accident may depend on what the rideshare driver was doing at the exact moment of the collision. The most important question is often whether the driver was offline, waiting for a ride request, driving to pick up a passenger, or actively transporting someone.
Understanding the driver’s status, identifying the responsible parties, and preserving evidence from the rideshare application can make a significant difference in an injury claim.
Why Are Uber and Lyft Accidents More Complicated?
Most car accident claims involve the insurance policies carried by the drivers involved. An Uber or Lyft accident may involve several potential policies, including:
- The rideshare driver’s personal auto insurance
- Insurance maintained by Uber or Lyft
- Insurance carried by another driver who caused the crash
- Uninsured motorist coverage maintained by an injured passenger
- Other commercial or third-party insurance policies
Insurance companies may disagree about which policy should cover the accident, or in which order the policies take effect.. The rideshare driver’s personal insurer may argue that the driver was working and therefore excluded from personal coverage. The rideshare company’s insurer may dispute whether the driver had accepted a ride.
This makes the rideshare driver’s application status one of the most important pieces of evidence in the case. That was also the central issue discussed in the accompanying video.
How Does the Driver’s Uber or Lyft Status Affect Insurance Coverage?
Missouri law establishes different insurance requirements based on whether the driver was simply logged into the rideshare application or was engaged in a ride.
The Driver Was Offline
If the Uber or Lyft application was turned off and the driver was using the vehicle for personal reasons, the accident will generally be treated like a standard car accident.
The driver’s personal automobile insurance would ordinarily be the primary source of coverage. Uber or Lyft’s rideshare insurance will generally not apply when the driver is completely offline.
Even in this situation, the driver’s personal insurance company may investigate the accident carefully to confirm that the driver was not using the vehicle for rideshare work.
The Driver Was Logged In and Waiting for a Request
The insurance situation changes when the driver is logged into the Uber or Lyft application and available to accept a passenger but has not yet accepted a request.
Missouri requires at least the following coverage during this period:
- $50,000 for bodily injury or death per person
- $100,000 for bodily injury or death per accident
- $25,000 for property damage
- Uninsured motorist coverage meeting Missouri’s statutory requirements
The required insurance may be maintained by the rideshare driver, the transportation network company, or a combination of the two.
This waiting period can produce significant insurance disputes. A personal insurance policy may exclude accidents that occur while a driver is logged into a rideshare application. Missouri law expressly permits personal auto insurers to exclude or limit coverage while a driver is using the vehicle for non-approved business purposes, such as being logged into a transportation network company’s digital network or providing a prearranged ride.
The Driver Had Accepted a Ride
Once the driver accepts a passenger’s request, Missouri law treats the driver as being engaged in a prearranged ride.
This period begins when the driver accepts the request through the application. It includes the time the driver spends traveling to the pickup location, transporting the passenger, and completing the trip. It ends when the final requesting passenger exits the vehicle.
Missouri requires at least $1 million in primary automobile liability insurance for death, bodily injury, and property damage while the driver is engaged in a prearranged ride. Uninsured motorist coverage must also be provided at no less than the limits required by Missouri law.
This higher level of coverage may apply even if the passenger had not yet entered the vehicle. Once the driver has accepted the ride and is traveling to the pickup location, the prearranged ride has already begun under Missouri law.
Uber also states that it maintains at least $1 million in third-party liability coverage while a driver is traveling to a pickup or completing a trip, although the exact policy terms and available coverage depend on the circumstances.
Who May Be Responsible for an Uber or Lyft Accident?
The rideshare driver is not automatically responsible simply because an Uber or Lyft vehicle was involved. Liability depends on who caused the collision.
Potentially responsible parties may include the following.
The Uber or Lyft Driver
The rideshare driver may be liable if the crash was caused by negligent driving, including:
- Speeding
- Following another vehicle too closely
- Running a red light or stop sign
- Making an unsafe lane change
- Driving while distracted
- Looking at the rideshare application instead of the road
- Driving while fatigued
- Driving under the influence
Rideshare drivers frequently rely on phones for navigation, passenger information, messages, and ride requests. Application use does not excuse a driver from the obligation to operate the vehicle safely.
Another Driver
A driver who is not affiliated with Uber or Lyft may have caused the collision. For example, another motorist may have run a red light and struck the rideshare vehicle.
In that situation, an injured passenger, rideshare driver, or occupant of another vehicle may have a claim against the responsible motorist. Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may also become important if the responsible driver does not have enough insurance.
More Than One Driver
Missouri accidents do not always have a single responsible party. The rideshare driver and another motorist may both have contributed to the crash.
An investigation may require reviewing:
- The police report
- Witness statements
- Traffic camera footage
- Vehicle damage
- Electronic data
- Cellphone records
- Uber or Lyft trip records
- GPS information
- Application login and acceptance times
Missouri law requires transportation network companies and potentially responsible insurers to cooperate during coverage investigations. This may include exchanging the precise times the driver logged on and off the rideshare network during the 12 hours before and after the accident.
Uber or Lyft
Uber and Lyft usually classify their drivers as independent contractors. Therefore, the rideshare company is not automatically responsible for every negligent act committed by a driver, a legal concept referred to as vicarious liability. These laws are also continuing to evolve, so a deadline that applied a few years ago may not reflect the law today.
However, insurance maintained through the rideshare platform may still cover the accident. There may also be circumstances in which the company’s own conduct becomes relevant, depending on the specific facts of the case.
The availability of a rideshare insurance policy should not be confused with a determination that Uber or Lyft is directly liable for causing the collision.
What Rights Do Injured Uber or Lyft Passengers Have?
An injured rideshare passenger may have a claim even when it is not immediately clear which driver caused the crash.
Passengers generally have no control over how either vehicle is being operated. If the Uber or Lyft driver and another motorist blame each other, the injured passenger should not have to determine fault before receiving medical treatment or reporting the accident.
A passenger’s potential claim may involve:
- The rideshare driver’s applicable insurance
- Uber or Lyft’s rideshare insurance
- Another driver’s liability insurance
- Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage
- Other available insurance policies
Passengers should save their trip receipt, driver information, pickup and destination details, application messages, and screenshots showing the ride. These records can help establish that a prearranged ride was active when the collision occurred.
What If an Uber or Lyft Driver Hits Your Vehicle?
You do not need to be an Uber or Lyft passenger to have a rideshare accident claim.
You may have a claim if you were:
- Driving another vehicle struck by a rideshare driver
- Riding as a passenger in another vehicle
- Walking near the roadway
- Riding a bicycle
- Riding a motorcycle
- Working near the crash location
The rideshare driver’s application status still matters. It may determine whether the driver’s personal policy, limited logged-in coverage, or the higher prearranged-ride coverage applies.
Missouri law requires rideshare drivers involved in accidents to provide proof of the required insurance upon request. Drivers must also disclose whether they were logged into the rideshare network or engaged in a prearranged ride at the time of the accident.
What Compensation May Be Available?
Depending on the injuries and circumstances, compensation after an Uber or Lyft accident may include:
- Emergency room bills
- Hospitalization
- Surgery
- Physical therapy
- Prescription medications
- Future medical treatment
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Permanent disability
- Scarring or disfigurement
- Vehicle repairs
- Rental vehicle expenses
- Other accident-related expenses
The amount available will depend on the severity of the injuries, who caused the accident, the insurance policies involved, and the evidence supporting the claim.
What Should You Do After an Uber or Lyft Accident?
The steps taken immediately after the collision can affect both your health and your ability to pursue compensation.
Call 911
Report the collision and request medical assistance when needed. A police report can help document the vehicles, drivers, witnesses, insurance information, and initial statements made at the scene.
Seek Medical Attention
Do not assume that an injury is minor simply because symptoms are not immediately severe. Concussions, soft-tissue injuries, spinal injuries, and other conditions may become more noticeable in the hours or days following a crash.
Document the Scene
When it is safe, take photographs or video of:
- The vehicles
- Vehicle damage
- License plates
- The roadway
- Traffic signals and signs
- Skid marks
- Debris
- Visible injuries
- Weather and lighting conditions
Preserve the Rideshare Information
Save screenshots of the ride, driver profile, route, receipt, pickup location, destination, and messages exchanged through the application.
Do not delete your Uber or Lyft account, the application, or the trip information.
Obtain Insurance and Contact Information
Collect information from every driver involved. Determine whether a driver was working for Uber or Lyft and ask whether the driver had accepted a passenger request.
Do not rely entirely on the driver’s statement. Application records may ultimately provide more reliable evidence of the driver’s status.
Report the Accident
Passengers can report a crash through the Uber or Lyft application. Keep copies of any reports, claim numbers, emails, messages, or other communications.
Be Careful When Speaking With Insurance Companies
An insurance adjuster may ask for a recorded statement shortly after the accident. The insurer may also offer a quick settlement before the full extent of the injuries is known.
Statements made early in the claim may later be used to dispute fault, the seriousness of the injuries, or the amount of compensation available.
Speak With a Missouri Rideshare Accident Lawyer
Rideshare accident cases may involve multiple insurers, application records, commercial policies, and disagreements about the driver’s status.
An attorney can work to preserve trip records, identify every applicable insurance policy, investigate the cause of the collision, document the injuries, and prevent insurers from shifting responsibility to one another.
Contact Monsees & Mayer After an Uber or Lyft Accident
An Uber or Lyft accident is not always handled like an ordinary car crash. The rideshare driver’s application status may determine which insurance policy applies and how much coverage is available.
Monsees & Mayer represents people injured in car accidents throughout Missouri. Our attorneys can investigate the collision, identify the responsible parties, and help you understand your legal options.
Call Monsees & Mayer at (816) 361-5555 or contact us online for a free case evaluation. We are here to help.
