Who Is Liable for an Uber or Lyft Accident in Canoga Park?

Arya Firoozmand, Esq.

Local Canoga Park Injury Attorney · UCLA Law

Arya Firoozmand is the founding partner at L&F Brown. He attended El Camino Real High School adjacent to Canoga Park, graduated from UCLA Law School, and has spent his career representing injured clients in the West Valley communities he grew up around.

Determining who is liable for an Uber or Lyft accident in Canoga Park is one of the most common questions our attorneys hear from injured clients. The answer is not always straightforward. Unlike a standard car accident where you typically pursue a claim against the other driver, rideshare accidents can involve multiple potentially liable parties, overlapping insurance policies, and a corporate structure specifically designed to limit the rideshare company's direct liability.

At L&F Brown, our Canoga Park rideshare accident attorneys cut through this complexity and identify every party responsible for your injuries.

The Rideshare Driver

The rideshare driver is the first potential defendant in any Uber or Lyft accident. If the driver was negligent, whether by running a red light on Sherman Way, following too closely on Topanga Canyon Blvd, or driving while distracted, the driver can be held personally liable for your injuries.

However, many rideshare drivers carry only minimum auto insurance and have limited personal assets. This is why identifying additional liable parties and insurance policies is so important in rideshare cases.

Uber and Lyft's Insurance Coverage

While Uber and Lyft classify their drivers as independent contractors to avoid direct employer liability, both companies provide commercial insurance coverage for accidents. The coverage depends on the driver's status at the time of the crash:

App off: Uber and Lyft provide no coverage. Only the driver's personal auto insurance applies.

App on, no ride accepted: Uber and Lyft provide limited third-party liability coverage of $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident. This covers injuries to people outside the rideshare vehicle but not the driver.

Ride accepted, en route to pickup, or passenger in vehicle: Both companies provide $1 million in third-party liability coverage and $1 million in uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. This is the highest tier and provides substantial resources for injured victims.

Uber and Lyft's insurance companies aggressively try to place accidents in the lowest coverage tier possible. Our attorneys obtain trip data and app records to establish the driver's exact status and ensure the correct coverage applies.

The Other Driver

If another driver caused or contributed to the accident, that driver can be held liable as well. For example, if a driver ran a red light on Roscoe Blvd and struck your Uber or Lyft, you can pursue a claim against that driver's insurance in addition to any claim against the rideshare company's coverage.

In many rideshare accidents, fault is shared between the rideshare driver and another driver. California's comparative negligence system allows you to recover from each liable party based on their percentage of fault.

Can You Sue Uber or Lyft Directly?

Suing Uber or Lyft as a company is more challenging than suing the individual driver. Both companies classify their drivers as independent contractors rather than employees, which generally shields the company from direct vicarious liability for the driver's negligence.

However, there are circumstances where Uber or Lyft may face direct liability:

• If the company failed to adequately screen the driver's background or driving record
• If the company's app or technology malfunctioned and contributed to the accident
• If the company pressured or incentivized drivers to engage in unsafe driving practices
• If the company continued to allow a driver with known safety issues to operate on the platform

Even when direct claims against Uber or Lyft are difficult, the company's commercial insurance policy provides the primary source of recovery for most injured claimants.

Vehicle Owners

In some cases, the rideshare driver does not own the vehicle they are driving. California's permissive use doctrine can make the vehicle owner liable for accidents caused by someone they allowed to drive their car. If the rideshare driver was using a borrowed or rented vehicle, the vehicle owner or rental company may be an additional liable party.

Government Entities

If dangerous road conditions contributed to the rideshare accident, the government entity responsible for maintaining the road may share liability. Potholes, missing signage, malfunctioning traffic signals, and poor road design on Canoga Park streets are the responsibility of the City of Los Angeles or Caltrans, depending on the road.

Claims against government entities require filing a government tort claim within six months. Our attorneys handle this process for our clients.

How We Determine Liability in Your Case

Our investigation into a Canoga Park rideshare accident includes:

• Obtaining the LAPD police report and any traffic camera footage
• Securing trip data from Uber or Lyft confirming the driver's status and route
• Reviewing the driver's driving record and background
• Interviewing witnesses and analyzing physical evidence from the crash scene
• Consulting with accident reconstruction experts when necessary

Contact L&F Brown About Your Rideshare Accident

The Three Insurance Tiers in Rideshare Cases

Rideshare accident cases in Canoga Park involve a layered insurance system that determines which policy covers your injuries. The coverage depends on what the driver was doing at the moment of the crash on Topanga Canyon Blvd, Sherman Way, Roscoe Blvd, and Canoga Ave.

When the driver has the app off, their personal auto insurance is the only coverage available. Once the driver turns on the app and is waiting for a ride request, Uber and Lyft provide limited liability coverage, typically $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident. This coverage fills gaps if the driver's personal insurance denies the claim because the driver was using the vehicle for commercial purposes.

Once the driver accepts a ride request and is en route to pick up a passenger, or has a passenger in the vehicle, the full commercial policy activates. This provides up to $1 million in liability coverage. This is the highest tier and applies to the majority of rideshare accidents that cause serious injuries.

Determining which tier applies requires examining the driver's app data at the exact moment of the crash. This data is controlled by Uber or Lyft and must be obtained through legal discovery or a preservation demand from your attorney. Without this data, the insurance companies will dispute which policy covers your claim, and each will try to shift responsibility to the other.

Cases that proceed to litigation are heard at Van Nuys Courthouse West. An attorney who understands the rideshare insurance structure and has experience obtaining app data through discovery can navigate this process efficiently and maximize your available coverage.

If you were injured in an Uber or Lyft accident in Canoga Park, contact L&F Brown for a free consultation. We identify every liable party, pursue every available insurance policy, and fight for the maximum compensation you deserve. Cases are litigated at the Van Nuys Courthouse West. Call us today.