Who Is Liable for an Uber or Lyft Accident in Calabasas?

Arya Firoozmand, Esq. — Founding Partner

Local Calabasas Injury Attorney · UCLA Law

Arya Firoozmand is the founding partner at L&F Brown. He grew up in Woodland Hills — minutes from Calabasas — graduated from El Camino Real High School and UCLA Law School, and has spent his career representing injured clients across the West Valley.

Liability in a rideshare accident is layered in a way that standard car accidents aren't. The at-fault driver is one possible defendant. Uber or Lyft may be another. Which parties you can pursue, and what coverage is available, depends on the specific circumstances of your crash.

The Rideshare Driver's Personal Liability

The driver is always a potential defendant. If their negligence caused the crash - speeding on the 101 near Calabasas, distracted driving while navigating in the Las Virgenes Road area, failure to yield - the driver is personally liable for your injuries. The question is what insurance covers that liability.

Rideshare drivers use their personal vehicles for work, but their personal auto insurance policies typically exclude coverage for commercial activity. Most personal auto policies have rideshare exclusions. This is why the coverage tier system matters so much in rideshare accidents.

Uber and Lyft's Direct Coverage

Uber and Lyft are required by California law to provide liability coverage that varies based on the driver's status on the platform at the time of the crash:

Phase 1 - App off: Only the driver's personal insurance applies. Uber and Lyft have no coverage obligation.

Phase 2 - App on, no ride accepted: Uber and Lyft provide contingent liability coverage - $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident in California. This applies when the driver's personal policy excludes the rideshare activity.

Phase 3 - Ride accepted or passenger in vehicle: Uber and Lyft's primary $1 million commercial liability policy is in effect. This is the scenario that applies when a passenger is in the vehicle or the driver is en route to pick someone up.

Establishing which phase applies is often the first contested question in a Calabasas rideshare accident case. The rideshare companies' internal trip records, GPS data, and timestamped app logs establish the phase with precision - but accessing those records typically requires formal legal requests.

Can You Sue Uber or Lyft Directly?

This is where rideshare liability gets complicated. Uber and Lyft classify their drivers as independent contractors, not employees. Under traditional respondeat superior doctrine, employers are liable for employees' actions during the course of employment - but independent contractors work outside that framework.

California has specific rideshare legislation (AB 5 and related laws) that affects employment classification, and there are ongoing legal developments in this area. For purposes of most accident claims, the primary practical access to Uber and Lyft as defendants comes through their mandatory commercial insurance coverage - particularly the $1 million Phase 3 policy - rather than through direct employment liability claims.

However, in cases where Uber or Lyft's own policies, platform design, or negligent driver vetting contributed to the crash, direct liability theories against the companies are sometimes viable. An attorney can assess whether the facts of your specific crash support that approach.

Other Potentially Liable Parties

Other drivers. If another vehicle caused the crash by hitting the rideshare car, that driver is primarily liable. Uber and Lyft's uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage then fills any gap if the other driver's policy is insufficient.

Vehicle manufacturers. If a mechanical defect contributed to the crash - brake failure, tire blowout from a manufacturing defect, defective steering - the vehicle manufacturer may share liability under product liability law.

Government entities. If dangerous road conditions on the 101 or Las Virgenes Road contributed to the crash, a government entity may share responsibility. The six-month government tort claim deadline applies here.

Identifying all potentially liable parties and their available coverage is one of the first things a Calabasas rideshare accident lawyer does when evaluating your case.

Building the Liability Case

Evidence that establishes both the coverage phase and the driver's fault is critical. Useful documentation includes: screenshots of the active trip in your app, the CHP report from the 101 crash or LASD report from a street-level collision in Calabasas, photographs of the scene, witness information, and medical records from West Hills Hospital establishing your injuries.

Our Calabasas personal injury attorneys handle rideshare accident cases on contingency. Call for a free evaluation of who's liable in your specific situation and what that means for your recovery.