Rideshare crashes follow different rules. Make sure the company plays by them.
Rideshare vehicles are on Bay Area roads around the clock, and they are involved in serious collisions every day. When one of them injures you, you are not dealing with an ordinary car accident. You are dealing with one of the most heavily lawyered companies in the world, an insurance structure that changes depending on what the driver was doing at the moment of impact, and a company that would prefer you never learn how much coverage actually applies.
Wear Trial Law represents people injured in rideshare collisions throughout Marin, Sonoma, San Francisco, Alameda, and Solano Counties. Michael Wear, a career trial lawyer and former head of a Consumer Protection Department that held corporations accountable, handles every case personally.
Who We Represent
- Passengers injured in a rideshare vehicle, whether the rideshare driver or another driver was at fault
- Pedestrians and cyclists struck by a rideshare driver
- Other motorists hit by a rideshare driver
- Rideshare drivers injured by another driver’s negligence
- Families who have lost a loved one in a rideshare collision
How Rideshare Insurance Works
Which insurance applies depends on the driver’s status at the time of the crash:
- App off. The driver’s personal auto policy applies, like any other accident.
- App on, waiting for a request. California requires the rideshare company to provide a lower tier of liability coverage.
- En route to a pickup or carrying a passenger. California requires the company to maintain at least $1 million in liability coverage, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage may also apply.
The companies and their insurers do not volunteer this coverage. They dispute the driver’s status, argue about which period applied, and push injured people toward the driver’s personal policy, which often excludes commercial activity. Establishing the driver’s status through the company’s own trip data is one of the first things Michael does in every case.
What Michael Does
Secures the evidence. Trip logs, GPS data, driver status, and driver history are held by the company. Michael moves quickly to preserve and obtain them.
Identifies every policy. The rideshare company’s coverage, the driver’s personal policy, the other driver’s policy, and your own underinsured motorist coverage may all be in play. Missing one can leave money on the table.
Documents the full injury. Serious crashes cause injuries whose cost unfolds over years. Michael works with your treating physicians and, where needed, retained experts to prove what the injury will actually cost.
Prepares for trial. Insurers know which lawyers try cases. Every case at Wear Trial Law is built for the courtroom from the start, which is what produces fair settlements.
What Compensation Covers
- Emergency and ongoing medical treatment
- Future medical care and rehabilitation
- Lost wages and lost earning capacity
- Pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life
- Property damage
- In fatal cases, wrongful death damages for the family
What to Do After a Rideshare Accident
- Get medical care, even if you feel fine. Some serious injuries take hours or days to appear.
- Screenshot the trip in the app before it disappears: driver, vehicle, route, and times.
- Photograph the vehicles, the scene, and your injuries.
- Get the police report number and the names of witnesses and all drivers involved.
- Report the crash to the rideshare company through the app, briefly and factually.
- Do not give a recorded statement to any insurer, including your own, before speaking with a lawyer.
- Contact Michael. Evidence held by the company does not wait.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ
No. As a passenger you are almost never at fault. The question is which policies respond, and that depends on whether the rideshare driver or another driver was negligent and what the rideshare driver’s status was.
It depends on the driver’s app status at the time. If the driver was carrying a passenger or en route to one, the company’s $1 million coverage should apply. If the driver was waiting for a request, a lower tier applies. If the app was off, it is a claim against the driver’s personal policy.
SB 623 changes certain rules for rideshare collision claims, particularly how medical expenses treated on a lien are valued, for accidents occurring on or after January 1, 2027. It does not eliminate the right to recover and does not change the rules for crashes before that date. Michael follows these developments closely and will explain how the timing of your accident affects your claim.
Yes. You may have claims against the at-fault driver and, depending on your status at the time, access to the rideshare company’s uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.
Generally two years from the date of injury for most claims, and shorter deadlines can apply if a government vehicle or public entity is involved. Contact Michael promptly so evidence can be preserved.
Nothing up front. Rideshare accident cases are handled on a contingency fee: you pay no attorney’s fee unless there is a recovery, and how case costs are handled is explained in writing before you sign anything. The consultation is free.
Injured in a Rideshare Crash? Talk to Michael.
Speak directly with Michael Wear in a free, confidential consultation. He will explain which coverage applies, what your case is worth pursuing, and what happens next.
Request a Consultation