Towson Uber & Lyft Accident Lawyers

HAndling Rideshare Cases in Towson Since 2004

Rideshare use has grown steadily across the Greater Baltimore area, and with it, the number of accidents involving Uber and Lyft drivers. These crashes don’t follow the same legal pattern as standard car accidents. Multiple insurance policies, independent contractor classifications, and app-status rules all shape who pays and how much. At Alex and LaFleur Attorneys at Law LLC, we’ve been handling car accident and rideshare cases in Towson since 2004.

If you or someone you love was injured by an Uber or Lyft driver, understanding the liability landscape is the first step. We’re here to guide you through it. Reach us by phone, online form, or text.

Call our Towson office at (410) 755-5801 today. We also serve Timonium, Baltimore, and the surrounding areas.

Who Is Liable for an Uber or Lyft Accident?

Uber and Lyft drivers are classified as independent contractors, not employees. That classification shapes how liability works, but it doesn’t let the companies off the hook entirely. Both Uber and Lyft maintain liability insurance policies that injured parties can make claims against when one of their drivers is at fault. Potential plaintiffs aren’t limited to passengers. Other drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists harmed by a rideshare driver may all have grounds to pursue a claim.

How App Status Determines Which Insurance Applies

Which insurance policy applies depends on what the driver was doing at the moment of the crash. When the app is off, only the driver’s personal policy applies. When the app is on but no ride has been accepted, Uber and Lyft provide limited liability coverage as a backup to the driver’s personal policy. Once a ride is accepted or a passenger is in the vehicle, both companies carry up to $1 million in liability coverage. Because multiple insurers can be involved in a single crash, each may work to minimize its share of responsibility. A rideshare accident attorney who understands these coverage phases can push back on that kind of maneuvering.

Once liability is identified and the applicable insurance determined, the dynamics of a Lyft or Uber claim are fundamentally the same as a standard car accident case. The at-fault driver must be shown to have breached their duty of care.

Proving Breach in an Uber or Lyft Case

All drivers owe a duty of care to everyone else on the road, and an Uber or Lyft driver’s duty extends to the passenger in the vehicle with them. Whether that duty was breached turns on whether the driver acted as an ordinary, reasonable person would under the same circumstances.

Rideshare drivers face distraction sources beyond what most motorists encounter: accepting new ride requests mid-route, monitoring the app, and communicating with upcoming passengers. Any of those behaviors can support a breach analysis. Beyond app-related distraction, common forms of breach include the following.

• Speeding in school zones: Our area has several schools located within densely populated neighborhoods. Speeding in these areas increases the risk of accidents involving children crossing streets or boarding buses, particularly during school start and end times.
• Failing to yield at crosswalks: Baltimore’s urban environment includes many marked crosswalks, especially in areas like the Inner Harbor and Fells Point. Drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians in these crosswalks violate their duty of care.
• Distracted highway driving: Drivers who engage in texting or other distractions breach their duty by not focusing on the road, increasing the likelihood of rear-end collisions and multi-vehicle accidents.
• Improper lane changes in heavy traffic: The Greater Baltimore area deals with congestion regularly, particularly on I-95, I-83, and the 495 Beltway. Abrupt or improper lane changes without signaling or checking blind spots can lead to side-impact collisions.