Maybe you booked a rideshare to get somewhere safely, or maybe you were simply driving, walking, or cycling near an Uber vehicle, and now you are dealing with an injury and a claim process run by a technology company and its insurers. We can help sort out the legal issues and protect your future.
At Abels & Annes, P.C., our Chicago Uber accident lawyers represent people hurt in Uber and Lyft crashes in Chicago, including passengers, rideshare drivers, and anyone else injured by a rideshare vehicle. We can determine which of the several insurance policies applies to your crash, and pursue a claim against the insurer responsible for paying it.
Free Consultations Available 24/7, and No Fee Unless You Win. Call (312) 924-7575 to share your rideshare crash story.
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Table of contents
- Do You Need a Lawyer After an Uber Accident in Chicago?
- How Much Insurance Covers an Uber or Lyft Crash in Illinois?
- Who Can File a Claim After a Chicago Rideshare Crash?
- How We Prove Which Insurance Period Applies
- Rideshare Crashes Our Chicago Attorneys Handle
- What Happens After You Hire Our Team
- When More Than One Driver Caused the Crash
- Lyft, Rideshare, and Other App-Based Crashes
- Why You Should Choose Abels & Annes, P.C. for an Uber Accident Claim
- FAQs About Chicago Uber Accident Claims
- Talk With a Chicago Rideshare Accident Attorney at Abels & Annes, P.C. to Learn More
Do You Need a Lawyer After an Uber Accident in Chicago?
Consider calling our team after any rideshare crash that caused an injury requiring medical care. We understand how Uber and Lyft claims involve more insurance layers than an ordinary car crash, and the coverage that applies can change based on what the driver's app showed at the moment of impact. Our team can help you communicate with the insurance company after an accident and understand which coverage may apply.
Getting the details right from the start can determine whether a claim is paid under a $1,000,000 policy or a much smaller one. Let Us Fight for You.
Why rideshare claims are more complicated than ordinary crash claims
Our team handles rideshare crashes across Chicago, and the same complications come up again and again:
- The driver's personal insurer and the rideshare company's insurer may each argue that the other policy applies
- The evidence of the driver's app status sits on the company's servers, not in the police report
- A passenger may have claims against two drivers at once when another car was involved
- The insurer assigned to the claim is a commercial carrier with its own adjusters and defense counsel
- Rideshare drivers who were hurt often discover their own policy excludes time spent working
Sorting these questions out early keeps the claim from stalling while insurers argue about who pays.
How Much Insurance Covers an Uber or Lyft Crash in Illinois?
Illinois sets minimum rideshare insurance in the Transportation Network Providers Act, 625 ILCS 57/10. The amount depends on what the driver was doing on the app. A transportation network company (TNC), such as Uber or Lyft, must make sure this coverage exists, either through its own policy or the driver's.
| Driver's app status | Liability coverage the Act requires | Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage |
|---|---|---|
| App off | Driver's personal auto policy only | Whatever the driver's personal policy includes |
| App on, waiting for a ride request | $50,000 per person, $100,000 per incident, 25,000propertydamage | NotrequiredbytheActduringthisperiod |
| Rideaccepted,drivingtothepickup | 1,000,000, primary | Not required until a passenger enters the vehicle |
| Passenger in the vehicle until the ride ends | 1,000,000,primary | 50,000, from the moment the passenger enters until the passenger exits |
These figures are the legal minimums. The policies Uber and Lyft actually carry may provide more coverage, so we request the policies themselves rather than relying on summaries.
Three rules in the Act that matter for injured people
Several provisions of 625 ILCS 57/10 change how a claim moves:
- The $1,000,000 coverage during an accepted ride does not depend on the driver's personal insurer first denying the claim
- If the driver's own insurance has lapsed, the TNC must provide the required coverage from the first dollar
- The insurance requirements do not cap the TNC's liability above the required coverage
These rules exist because personal auto policies often exclude rideshare driving, a fact the Act itself acknowledges by requiring TNCs to warn drivers that their own policies may not apply.
Who Can File a Claim After a Chicago Rideshare Crash?
Anyone injured because a rideshare driver, or another driver, acted carelessly can bring a claim. Who you are in the crash determines where the claim starts.
Passengers
A rideshare passenger is rarely at fault for a crash, which makes the passenger's claim primarily a question of insurance and damages. If the rideshare driver caused the collision, the claim is covered under the trip's $1,000,000 liability coverage. If another driver caused it, the passenger claims against that driver's insurer, with the rideshare trip's underinsured motorist coverage available if the other driver's policy is too small.
Rideshare drivers
A driver injured by another motorist files a claim against the at-fault driver's liability insurance. If that driver had no insurance or too little, the rideshare driver's own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage may apply, subject to that policy's terms. Your app records matter here as much as they do for a passenger.
Other drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists
People outside the rideshare vehicle can claim against the coverage that matches the driver's app status at the time of the crash. A pedestrian struck by a driver who was waiting for a request faces a $50,000 per-person minimum, while the same crash minutes later, after the driver accepted a ride, falls under $1,000,000 in coverage.
How We Prove Which Insurance Period Applies
The single most important fact in many rideshare claims is the driver's app status, and the rideshare company holds the most complete record of it. Our attorneys move quickly to preserve that information before it becomes harder to obtain.
The evidence we gather usually includes:
- Trip records, timestamps, and GPS data from the rideshare company
- The rider's receipt and in-app trip history
- Screenshots or messages from the driver or passenger showing the ride status
- The Chicago Police Department crash report and officer body camera video
- Statements from the driver, passengers, and witnesses
- Photographs of the vehicles, including rideshare trade dress or stickers
When the company will not produce trip data voluntarily, a lawsuit allows us to obtain it through formal discovery. That record ties the crash to the right policy.
Rideshare Crashes Our Chicago Attorneys Handle
Rideshare driving involves frequent stops, pickups in traffic lanes, and constant attention to an app, and those conditions shape how many of these crashes happen. Each pattern points to a different responsible party.
The rideshare cases we see include:
- Rear-end and intersection crashes while the driver was looking for a pickup or following app directions
- Collisions while the driver stopped or merged to pick up or drop off a rider
- Dooring crashes, where a door opened into the path of a cyclist or another vehicle
- Crashes caused by another motorist striking the rideshare vehicle
- Pedestrians struck by a rideshare driver in a crosswalk or at a curb
Dooring claims are covered by 625 ILCS 5/11-1407, which prohibits opening a vehicle door on the traffic side until it is reasonably safe to do so. Depending on who opened the door, the claim may run against the driver, the passenger, or both.
What Happens After You Hire Our Team
A rideshare claim follows a predictable path once we take it on, although its length depends on your treatment and how the insurers respond. Here is how the work usually unfolds:
- We send preservation requests so the rideshare company keeps trip data, GPS records, and communications
- We identify the driver's app status and every policy that may apply, including your own
- We collect your medical records and bills as treatment continues
- Once your doctors can describe your recovery, we send a written demand to the responsible insurer
- If the insurer will not make a fair offer, we file suit, usually in the Circuit Court of Cook County
You make the settlement decisions at every stage, and we’ll explain each offer before you respond.
When More Than One Driver Caused the Crash
Many rideshare crashes involve two at-fault drivers, such as an Uber driver who ran a light and another motorist who was speeding through the intersection. Illinois law has a specific rule for that situation.
Under 735 ILCS 5/2-1117, every defendant found liable is responsible for the full amount of the injured person's past and future medical expenses. For other damages, a defendant found 25% or more at fault can be held responsible for the full amount, while a defendant found under 25% at fault pays only their share.
This rule allows a passenger to collect full medical damages from the driver with the larger policy, even when the other driver has little or no insurance.
If the insurer says you share the blame
Insurers sometimes argue that a rideshare driver or another motorist who was hurt contributed to the crash. We use evidence such as trip data, vehicle damage, and witness accounts to counter an adjuster’s attempts to unfairly shift blame onto you.
Lyft, Rideshare, and Other App-Based Crashes
The Transportation Network Providers Act applies to every TNC operating in Illinois, so the coverage periods above apply to Lyft trips as they do to Uber trips. Our firm also handles Lyft accident claims, and the investigation follows the same steps: establish the app status, identify the policies, and document the injuries.
Scooters and other app-based transportation
Other app-based transportation raises different insurance questions. Rental scooters and bikes are not covered by the rideshare insurance rules. Our Chicago Scooter Accident attorneys also represent people injured in app-based scooter crashes, in which the claim may involve the rider, a driver, or the condition of the equipment.
Why You Should Choose Abels & Annes, P.C. for an Uber Accident Claim
Rideshare injury claims are a core part of our Chicago practice at Abels & Annes, P.C. We represent clients from our LaSalle Street office in the Loop and our Evanston office. Our attorneys will meet you by phone, by video, in person, or at your home if your injuries keep you from traveling.
What working with our firm looks like
You will have a team that handles the insurers, the rideshare company's claim process, and the paperwork while you recover. We serve clients in English, Spanish, and Polish. The firm's credentials include Super Lawyers Top 100 (Thomson Reuters), an AVVO rating of 10.0 (Superb), and membership in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
Results, in any case, depend on the unique facts, and past results do not predict future outcomes. To find out how the rideshare insurance rules apply to your crash, call (312) 924-7575 for a free consultation.
FAQs About Chicago Uber Accident Claims
How much does an Uber accident lawyer cost in Chicago?
Abels & Annes, P.C. handles Uber and Lyft accident cases on a contingency fee, which means No Fee Unless You Win. If you are pursuing a lyft accident claim in Chicago, the fee is a percentage of the recovery, agreed in writing before any work starts. Ask how case costs are handled at the first meeting so there are no surprises later.
Can I sue Uber directly after an accident in Chicago?
Sometimes. Most Chicago rideshare claims are paid by the insurance Uber or Lyft is required to carry rather than by a lawsuit against the company itself. Whether you can sue Lyft after an injury accident depends on the facts of the crash and the company's potential liability. Illinois law says the rideshare insurance requirements do not limit the company's liability above that coverage, so whether Uber can be named as a defendant depends on the facts of the crash.
How long do I have to file an Uber accident claim in Illinois?
Illinois gives injured people a limited time to file an injury lawsuit, and that window is short. Rideshare trip data can also become harder to obtain over time. Calling our Chicago Uber accident attorneys soon after the crash protects both your right to file and the evidence your claim depends on.
Should I report an Uber accident in the app?
Reporting the crash through the Uber or Lyft app creates a record that you were involved, and the company typically passes that report to its insurer. The insurer may then ask for a recorded statement. Many injured riders talk with a lawyer before giving that statement, since what you say becomes part of the claim file.
Does my own car insurance cover me if I was hurt as an Uber passenger?
Your own auto policy may still help, even if you were not driving. Many Illinois policies include medical payments coverage and underinsured motorist coverage that follow the insured person, so they can add to a car accident claim when the at-fault driver's coverage runs out. Whether they apply depends on your policy's terms, which a lawyer can review with you.
Talk With a Chicago Rideshare Accident Attorney at Abels & Annes, P.C. to Learn More
Rideshare companies and their insurers begin defending a crash within hours. The Abels & Annes, P.C. team can start documenting your side just as quickly, beginning with a free review of the accident, the coverage, and your injuries.
Free Consultations Available 24/7, and No Fee Unless You Win. Call (312) 924-7575 or contact our office to schedule a consultation by phone, video, or in person.