People hurt in rideshare crashes are usually told to file with "the app" and then left waiting. The delay happens because Uber and Lyft do not insure a driver the same way at every moment. Coverage switches on and off with the app, and the insurer's first job is to work out which period applied.
We handle these claims for passengers, for other drivers hit by a rideshare vehicle, and for pedestrians and cyclists struck by one. The work is the same in every case: pin down the app status, identify every policy in play, and stop the carriers pointing at each other while your bills arrive.
The three periods that decide which insurance applies
Rideshare companies carry contingent coverage that changes with the driver's status in the app. The practical effect:
- App off. The driver is a private motorist. Only their personal auto policy applies, and Maryland personal policies commonly exclude commercial use.
- App on, waiting for a request. A limited contingent policy applies, above the driver's own insurance. It is real coverage, but far smaller than most people expect.
- En route to a rider, or carrying one. The large commercial policy applies. This is the period passengers are almost always in, and it is where serious claims are paid.
Nobody takes the driver's word for which period applied. The app record settles it, which is why the trip data matters more than anything said at the scene.
The evidence that decides a rideshare claim
- Your trip record. If you were the passenger, the ride is in your own app history with times, the driver and the route. Screenshot it before anything changes.
- The driver's app status. Held by Uber or Lyft, and obtainable in a claim. It is the single most important fact in the file.
- The police report. It records who was driving and often notes the rideshare vehicle, which links the crash to the trip.
- Dashcam footage. Many rideshare drivers run one. It is usually overwritten within days.
- Every policy in play. The driver's personal insurer, the rideshare policy, and your own uninsured motorist coverage if the at-fault driver was uninsured or fled.
Passengers, other drivers, pedestrians and cyclists
Passengers are the strongest position in a rideshare claim. A passenger is almost never at fault, which matters enormously in Maryland, where being even slightly to blame can bar recovery entirely.
Other drivers hit by a rideshare vehicle face the coverage puzzle above, and often an insurer that denies the app was on.
Pedestrians and cyclists struck by a rideshare car frequently have the most serious injuries. Those claims run alongside pedestrian and bicycle claim rules.
Claims by the rideshare driver are different again, because the driver may be pursuing their own coverage while working. We look at that separately.
Uber and Lyft claims
The structure is similar at both companies, but the claims handling, the app records and the adjusters are not. We handle each on its own terms:
Food and grocery delivery driving raises the same app-status question with different policies behind it, and a crash involving a delivery driver is handled the same way.
If you were assaulted during a ride
A sexual assault or other attack during a rideshare is not an insurance dispute about driving, and it is not handled like a collision. Those claims are confidential and they run on a different track. See rideshare sexual assault claims, or call and ask for someone who handles abuse claims.
How long you have
Maryland generally allows three years from the date of a crash to file a personal injury lawsuit. The practical deadline is much shorter, because app data, dashcam footage and vehicle evidence disappear long before the legal one arrives.
Report the crash through the app and to your own insurer, keep your trip record, and start a free case review before you give any recorded statement.
