Practice Area
Hurt in an Uber or Lyft crash as a passenger, a driver, or someone else on the road? What the driver’s app was doing decides which policy pays. We prove it, and you pay nothing unless we recover.
When you hire Smith & Weidinger, you work with the lawyer handling your case, not a call center. Founding partner Matthew A. Weidinger focuses on serious-injury cases with complex liability and damages. Before co-founding the firm, he worked at large and small personal injury firms in Denver and Colorado Springs and served as a Deputy District Attorney in Mesa County.
We handle Uber and Lyft crash claims from our offices in Denver (1040 S. Gaylord St.) and Colorado Springs (415 N. Tejon St.). In most crashes, you deal with one at-fault driver and one insurer. A rideshare crash can involve several: the rideshare driver’s personal policy, the policy Uber or Lyft maintains, another driver’s policy, and your own. Before anyone talks about fault, the insurers often argue about which policy applies at all.
Colorado calls Uber and Lyft “transportation network companies” and sets insurance rules for each stage of a driver’s work (C.R.S. 40-10.1-604).
If another driver caused the crash, your claim starts with that driver’s liability insurance. From the moment you accept a ride until your passenger gets out, the rideshare company’s UM/UIM coverage, at least $200,000 per person, may apply if the at-fault driver has no insurance or not enough. Your own UM/UIM may help too, but read it closely: some personal policies exclude or limit coverage while you’re driving for a rideshare company.
Colorado law says a rideshare driver doesn’t have to be an employee of the rideshare company, and Uber and Lyft generally treat drivers as independent contractors, so workers’ compensation usually isn’t available. Report the crash through the driver app and notify your personal insurer promptly, since many policies require it. Then let us sort out which coverage applies while you get back on your feet.
Colorado personal injury
The rideshare company’s trip data decides which coverage applies. Get a free consultation with a Colorado injury attorney. Not a screener.
You pay nothing upfront.
Not a call center.
Serious-injury crashes and the insurance claims that follow.
Commercial trucking crashes with complex liability.
Injuries caused by dangerous property conditions.
Uber’s and Lyft’s coverage is written by large commercial insurers with experienced claims teams. At the same time, the driver’s personal insurer may deny coverage because the app was on, and the other driver’s insurer may blame the rideshare driver. You shouldn’t have to referee that while you’re trying to heal.
We pin down the facts that decide the coverage first, then line up every policy in the order it should pay.
Every rideshare claim is built from the same pieces:
Log-on times, ride acceptance, and GPS from the rideshare company, preserved before they're lost.
Screenshots of the driver, vehicle, route, time, and trip status. Don't delete the app or the receipt.
The rideshare coverage, the driver's personal policy, any other driver's policy, and your own UM/UIM and MedPay.
Commercial carriers, personal insurers, and the other driver's company, each with its own position.
We negotiate repayment claims so more of your recovery stays with you.
We look at all of it. Then we decide, with you, whether to settle or file suit.
You talk with a lawyer, not a screener. We explain your options, the deadlines that apply, and how our contingency fee works.
Get the care you need. We deal with the insurance companies and help coordinate MedPay, health insurance, and providers so your treatment doesn't stall.
We collect the reports, photos, video, witness statements, and records, and we send preservation letters before evidence is lost.
Once your doctors have a clear picture of your recovery, we document your losses (medical bills, lost income, future care, and how the injury changed your life) and present the claim.
We negotiate with every insurer involved, and with the health plans and providers that want to be repaid, so more of the settlement stays with you.
If the insurer won't be fair, we file suit before the deadline and prepare the case for trial. Most cases settle, and that preparation is what gets them to a fair number.
Recent outcomes from our motor vehicle injury cases. None of these involved a rideshare vehicle.
Settlement for a client rear-ended at high speed by a distracted driver.
Settlement for aggravation of neck and back injuries.
Settlement for a client struck by a red-light runner who tried to blame our client.
Results depend on the specific facts and legal circumstances of each case. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome.
Unedited, from our Google profile.
Reviews are published on Google by the people who wrote them. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
These are the questions passengers and drivers ask most after an Uber or Lyft crash. The answers below are general. The app status, who caused the crash, and the policies involved decide how they apply to you.
It depends on the app status and who caused the crash. During a ride, Colorado requires at least $1,000,000 in liability coverage for crashes involving the rideshare driver. If the app was off, the driver’s personal policy applies instead.
You claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance. If that driver has no insurance or not enough, the rideshare company’s UM/UIM coverage, at least $200,000 per person during a ride, may apply, and your own UM/UIM may too.
If the driver’s app was on and waiting for a request, Colorado requires at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident. If the app was off, the driver’s personal policy applies. The rideshare company’s records show which it was.
If another driver caused the crash, you can claim against their insurance, and the rideshare UM/UIM coverage may apply during a ride. Because drivers are generally treated as independent contractors, workers’ compensation usually isn’t available.
Not until you know the full extent of your injuries and which policies apply. Once you sign a release, your claim is over, even if you later learn you need surgery.
Most rideshare crash lawsuits must be filed within three years, the same as other motor vehicle claims. Uninsured motorist claims have their own timing rules. Trip data and video can be lost much sooner, so start early.
