Rideshare Accident Attorney Los Angeles

Accidents involving Uber, Lyft, or Waymo are governed by a combination of state laws and Los Angeles regulations. Here are the key laws that affect Los Angeles Rideshare Accident:

Los Angeles Rideshare Accident Insurance Policies & Liability

Uber and Lyft provide $1 million in liability coverage for accidents, but coverage depends on the driver’s status at the time of the crash. Regarding insurance coverage, a common vehicle-related accident is usually covered by the driver’s personal or commercial auto insurance. For a rideshare injury, a Transportation Network Company (TNC) is involved, be it Uber, Lift, or Waymo.

Starting January 1st, 2025, California changed its auto-insurance requirements. In alignment with the Assembly Bill No. 2293, California made these changes:

Common Liability Insurance Coverage

• Drivers must now have at least $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident in bodily injury liability coverage, an increase from the previous requirement. This coverage is used to pay for injuries sustained by the other drivers and their passengers in the event of an accident caused by you.
• Apart from the bodily injury liability, the property damage liability requirement has also been revised to $15,000 per accident. This comprehensive insurance covers any damage incurred on the other driver’s vehicle, building, or structure from a car you might have hit. In this way, an individual or entity qualifies to become one of the top 10 to set the standards in the property damage liability coverage among all the states.
• Initially, the drivers only had to obtain a bodily injury liability coverage of $15,000 per person and $30,000 per accident, along with a property damage liability of $5,000. California had the lowest liability requirements in the country until 2025.

Rideshare Drivers Insurance Requirements

California mandates different insurance requirements for uber and lyft drivers based on their activity status, divided into three periods:

• Period 0 (App Off): Personal auto insurance applies, meeting the state’s minimum coverage:
  • $15,000 bodily injury per person
  • $30,000 bodily injury per accident
  • $5,000 property damage per accident
• Period 1 (App On, No Passenger Matched): Rideshare insurance required with:
  • $50,000 bodily injury per person
  • $100,000 bodily injury per accident
  • $30,000 property damage per accident
  • TNCs (e.g., Uber, Lyft) provide at least $200,000 in excess liability coverage.
• Periods 2 & 3 (Matched with a Passenger & During the Ride):
  • TNCs provide a $1 million liability policy covering both driver and passengers.
  • $1 million uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.
  • Comprehensive & collision coverage (with a $2,500 deductible) applies if the driver has personal collision coverage.

Drivers are legally required to have insurance at all times, but since TNCs provide coverage, personal rideshare insurance isn’t always mandatory. However, purchasing an individual policy may offer additional protections, particularly during Period 1.

These complicated liability discussions allow Uber, Lyft, and insurers to avoid full compensation. That’s why hiring an experienced Uber accident lawyer is critical.

Comparative Negligence in California

Compared to the other states, California is the only one that has a mixed system of comparative negligence; however, the state still lets both aggrieved parties and the courts apportion the blame among the different people involved according to the degree of their negligence. In this system, the amount of damages you incur would be the financial loss you incurred minus your percentage of fault if you are assessed to have been partly to blame for the incident. Suppose you receive damages of $100,000, but the jury has concluded that you are 30% responsible for the accident. Thus, your compensation will be $100,000 x (1-30%) = $70,000.

Therefore, any party in the effect can be compensated according to their respective proportion of responsibility, irrespective of the amount of fault they hold. Individuals must be aware of the functioning of this system, as it could make a huge difference in the result of a personal injury claim or lawsuit in California.

Statute of Limitations

Accidents resulting in injuries are prevalent in California, mainly because the state is full of cars and people. Car accidents are a good example of accidents that may occur in California. According to California law, injured individuals generally have a period of two years from the accident to file a personal injury claim. The significance of this court ruling is that the two-year limit is absolute and unchangeable, thus the claimant must file the law suit within that period. Only two years is the time for an Uber accident lawyer to file the claim, or you will lose the chance.

However, if your case is with the government, the filing period is minimal—just six months from the time of the injury. This is a shorter timeline that needs quick action, as there is adherence to specific procedures and notice to be given to a government entity when filing. Missing out such critical deadlines might make it impossible to proceed with your case, therefore, it is important to talk to a skilled Uber accident lawyer at a very early time so that your rights get safeguarded.