A Bradenton rideshare accident lawyer represents passengers, other drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and rideshare drivers hurt in crashes involving Uber, Lyft, and other app-based ride services. Florida law sets specific insurance requirements for these vehicles, and which coverage applies depends on what the driver was doing in the app at the moment of the crash. Have our 30 years of experience in personal injury go to work for you. No fees or costs unless we get results.
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Heintz Law represents people injured in rideshare crashes in Bradenton, Palmetto, Lakewood Ranch, Anna Maria Island, Manatee County, and the Suncoast, including trips to and from Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, the beaches, and downtown. Founding Partner Steven E. Heintz and our Bradenton rideshare accident attorneys handle these claims as part of the firm's personal injury lawyer practice.
After an Uber or Lyft accident, call 911, get medical care, and take screenshots of the ride in the app, including the driver's name, photo, vehicle, and plate. Photograph the scene and vehicles, collect witness names, report the crash in the app, and see a doctor within 14 days.
The electronic receipt and app records are some of the most important evidence in a rideshare case, because they show whether the driver was logged on and whether a ride was in progress.
Florida law requires primary auto insurance for rideshare drivers whenever they are logged on to the app. When the driver is on a trip with a passenger, the required liability coverage is at least $1 million. When the driver is logged on but waiting for a ride, lower limits apply. The coverage can come from the driver, the company, or both.
Florida's minimum rideshare insurance requirements are:
If the driver's own insurance lapses or does not provide the required coverage, the rideshare company's insurance must step in from the first dollar. The company's insurer may not require the driver's personal insurer to deny the claim first.
Yes. The amount of available coverage depends on the driver's status. A ride is considered in progress from the moment the driver accepts a request until the last passenger exits the vehicle. During that period, Florida requires at least $1 million in liability coverage, far more than most personal auto policies carry.
Insurers sometimes dispute the driver's status at the time of the crash. Florida law requires the rideshare company, on request in a coverage investigation, to provide the exact times the driver logged on and off the app in the 12 hours before and after the crash. Requesting those records early prevents arguments later about which coverage applies.
Personal injury protection, called PIP, usually pays medical bills first in Florida, regardless of fault. A rideshare passenger generally looks first to their own or a household member's PIP coverage. If they have none, the PIP coverage required on the rideshare vehicle may apply. Care must begin within 14 days.
PIP pays 80 percent of reasonable medical bills and 60 percent of lost income, up to its limits. Beyond PIP, the injured person may claim against the at-fault driver's bodily injury coverage, the rideshare coverage, and uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage when the at-fault driver has too little insurance. Our uninsured motorist lawyer page explains how that coverage works.
Yes, when the injury meets Florida's serious injury threshold. To recover pain and suffering from the at-fault driver, the injury must involve a permanent injury, a significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function, significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement, or death. Many rideshare crash injuries meet that standard.
Objective medical findings, such as imaging and surgical reports, and consistent treatment are important evidence of permanency. Gaps in treatment are often used by insurers to argue an injury was minor.
Sometimes. Florida law generally protects rideshare companies from responsibility simply for operating the app or being affiliated with a driver. But that protection does not apply when the company itself was negligent, failed to meet its legal duties to screen drivers, or owned the vehicle. The required insurance remains available either way.
Florida requires rideshare companies to:
When a company allows a disqualified driver on the platform or ignores complaints, it may face direct responsibility. Drivers are generally treated as independent contractors under Florida law when specific conditions are met.
Liability in a rideshare accident may fall on the rideshare driver, another driver who caused the crash, the rideshare company in limited circumstances, a vehicle owner if the car was rented, a vehicle or parts manufacturer, or a government agency responsible for a dangerous road. Several parties and several policies are often involved.
Distraction is a common factor, since drivers interact with navigation and ride requests while moving. Our distracted driving lawyer page explains how that evidence is developed.
People outside the rideshare vehicle, including other drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists, can make claims against the rideshare coverage when the rideshare driver caused the crash. The available limits depend on whether the driver was logged off, logged on and waiting, or on a trip.
Crashes at pickup and drop-off points, including double parking, sudden stops, and doors opened into traffic, are common causes of injury to cyclists and pedestrians. Our pedestrian accident lawyer, bicycle accident lawyer, and motorcycle accident lawyer pages explain those claims.
Rideshare drivers hurt by another driver can claim against that driver's insurance. Because rideshare drivers are usually independent contractors, they generally do not receive workers' compensation. Florida requires uninsured motorist and personal injury protection coverage while the driver is logged on, which can protect drivers hit by uninsured motorists.
Rideshare drivers should review both their personal policy and the coverage the company provides, because many personal policies exclude coverage while a driver is logged on. Florida requires rideshare companies to disclose their coverage to drivers in writing before the driver can accept rides.
Common rideshare accident injuries include neck and back injuries, concussions and traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, shoulder and knee injuries, internal injuries, cuts from glass, and in serious crashes, spinal cord injuries and death. Rear-seat passengers who were not belted may suffer head and facial injuries.
An injured person may recover medical expenses beyond PIP, lost wages, lost earning capacity, and future care, along with pain and suffering, mental anguish, scarring, and loss of enjoyment of life when the serious injury threshold is met. A spouse may have a separate claim, and punitive damages may be available in limited cases, such as impaired driving.
Fault is decided by the evidence of which drivers failed to use reasonable care. Florida uses modified comparative fault, so a person found 50 percent or less at fault recovers damages reduced by their share, and a person found more than 50 percent at fault recovers nothing. Passengers are rarely at fault for the crash itself.
Evidence often includes app data, vehicle event data, dashcam video, phone records, and witness statements. In rear-end crashes, Florida's rebuttable presumption that the rear driver was negligent may apply, explained in our article on whether it is always the other driver's fault if you get rear-ended.
For most Florida rideshare accident claims arising on or after March 24, 2023, the statute of limitations is two years from the date of the crash. Wrongful death claims generally must be filed within two years of the death. Rideshare companies are only required to keep ride records for one year.
Because ride records may be kept for as little as a year, requesting them early matters. Our Florida statute of limitations page explains the deadlines. When a rideshare crash is fatal, our wrongful death page explains what families can pursue.
Our Bradenton rideshare accident attorneys handle each case in stages, from first contact through coverage investigation, pre-suit negotiation, discovery, mediation, trial, and appeal. Every file is prepared from the start as if a jury will hear it, because the insurer's view of trial risk shapes how it values the claim.
Steven E. Heintz is the Founding Partner of Heintz Law, a Bradenton firm that represents only injured people and their families. His approach is careful preparation, aggressive advocacy where the facts call for it, and trial readiness from the first conference. Settlement on the right number is welcome. Settlement that shortchanges a client is not.
Rideshare accident cases are handled on a contingency fee, so there is no fee unless there is a recovery. For other crashes in Bradenton, see our Bradenton car accident lawyer page.
If you or a family member was hurt in an Uber, Lyft, or other rideshare crash in Bradenton, Palmetto, or anywhere in Manatee County or the surrounding counties, Heintz Law can identify every source of coverage, preserve the app data, and explain your options under Florida law.
Have our 30 years of experience in personal injury go to work for you. No fees or costs unless we get results.
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