Uber & Lyft Accidents matters in San Rafael
How Rideshare Crashes Happen in San Rafael
Rideshare trips weave through every part of San Rafael — pickups along Fourth Street and the downtown bars and restaurants, runs to and from the San Rafael Transit Center and the Larkspur ferry, and longer trips down US-101 or across the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge on I-580 toward the East Bay and the airports. Drivers under app pressure, unfamiliar with a route, or distracted by their phones contribute to collisions, and Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and the busy 101 interchanges are common crash points.
You may be hurt as an Uber or Lyft passenger, as a rideshare driver struck by another motorist, or as a person in another vehicle or on foot hit by a rideshare car. Each scenario raises the same complicated question: whose insurance pays, and how much is available.
Untangling Rideshare Insurance
Rideshare insurance in California works in phases, and the coverage available depends on what the app driver was doing at the moment of the crash. When the app is off, only the driver's personal auto policy applies. When the driver is logged in and waiting for a ride request, a limited amount of company contingent coverage applies. When the driver is on the way to a pickup or carrying a passenger, Uber and Lyft are generally required to provide a substantial liability policy — commonly up to one million dollars — that may cover injured passengers and others.
Sorting out which phase applies, and which policy responds, is exactly the kind of dispute these companies and their insurers use to delay and reduce claims. As a passenger, you were almost certainly not at fault, yet you can still be caught between multiple insurers pointing at each other. We identify every applicable policy, including your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, and pursue all available sources. Getting evaluated promptly at MarinHealth Medical Center in Greenbrae documents your injuries from the start.
California Deadlines and the Marin County Court
Most California rideshare injury claims must be filed within two years of the crash under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. If a government vehicle or a dangerous public road condition contributed, you may have only six months to file a government claim under Government Code section 911.2. Because rideshare cases involve large corporate insurers and overlapping policies, early investigation helps protect your claim. Marin County cases are handled at the Marin County Superior Court at the Civic Center on North San Pedro Road. MMG Law Firm cuts through the insurance confusion and is prepared to take a case before a Marin jury when an insurer refuses to be fair.
Our attorney
How Mihran M. Ghazaryan helps with uber & lyft accidents
Uber and Lyft cases come down to which policy applies at the exact moment of the crash, and Mihran M. Ghazaryan maps that timeline precisely. He pulls the trip data, pinpoints the driver's app status, and pursues the up-to-$1M coverage that applies during an active ride — coverage adjusters won't volunteer. You work with the attorney untangling those layered policies, start to finish.
Types of rideshare accidents we handle
Passenger injury during an active ride
Uber's or Lyft's $1M policy is in force. The driver's personal policy is irrelevant to your recovery in most cases.
Driver as plaintiff (rideshare driver injured)
Uninsured/underinsured-motorist coverage from the platform applies during active periods. We make sure rideshare drivers know what they have.
Pedestrians and other vehicles struck by rideshare drivers
App-status windows determine which policy responds. Trip data is the central piece.
Damages
What compensation can cover
Every rideshare accident claim is different, but California law allows injured plaintiffs to seek several categories of damages. We build each one with documentation — medical records, wage statements, expert opinions — so nothing is left on the table.
Medical expenses
Emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, and the future treatment your providers say you'll need.
Lost wages
Income you lost while recovering — and, where the injury affects your ability to work, diminished future earning capacity.
Pain and suffering
Compensation for physical pain, emotional distress, and the ways the injury has changed how you live day to day.
Property damage
Repair or replacement of your vehicle and other property damaged in the incident.
Out-of-pocket costs
Transportation to appointments, medical equipment, household help, and the other expenses an injury forces on you.
How we work
- 1
Free, no-pressure consultation
We listen first. We answer your questions. There is no fee for the initial conversation — and you decide whether to engage us at the end of it.
- 2
Investigation and evidence preservation
Police reports, scene photos, witness statements, vehicle data, surveillance video, medical records. The earlier we collect, the harder it is for the other side to reshape the story later.
- 3
Treatment, demand, and negotiation
We coordinate with your providers, document the full extent of damages — medical, lost income, pain — and present a demand backed by evidence. We push back firmly when an insurer lowballs.
- 4
Litigation when necessary
Most matters settle. When an insurer refuses to be reasonable, we file. Preparing every case as if it will be tried is what makes the settlement number move.
What to do right away
- Get medical attention immediately.
- Screenshot your trip — both the receipt and the driver profile.
- Save the in-app trip details before the app updates them.
- Photograph the scene, the vehicle, and the rideshare placards.
- Do not give a recorded statement to either insurer before contacting us.
The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.
Deadlines that matter
Most California personal-injury claims must be filed within two years of the injury (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1). Miss the window and the court will almost always dismiss the case, no matter how strong it is.
Claims against government entities are much shorter — generally a written claim within six months (Government Code §911.2). Crashes involving city vehicles, public buses, or dangerous public-road conditions can fall under this rule.
Exceptions exist in both directions — discovery rules, minors, continuing violations, out-of-state defendants — so don't assume your deadline has passed or that you have time to spare. Call (818) 539-7969 and we'll tell you exactly where you stand.