Rideshare and taxi crashes look like ordinary car accidents but pay out very differently. Uber and Lyft carry large commercial coverage that applies during trips, yellow and green cabs carry their own policies, and as a passenger you are almost never at fault — which often makes these among the more straightforward liability cases, if the right policy is identified quickly.
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How New York law applies
- App status decides which policy responds. For Uber and Lyft, coverage scales up as a driver moves from offline, to waiting for a request, to en route or carrying a passenger — when up to $1.25 million in coverage can apply in New York.
- Passengers usually recover. If you were a passenger, the crash was almost certainly not your fault, so the question is which driver (and which insurer) was responsible — not whether you can recover.
- No-Fault still applies. As an injured passenger you can typically claim No-Fault benefits for medical bills and lost wages, and pursue pain and suffering if you meet the serious-injury threshold.
Who may be responsible
Liability often reaches beyond the obvious. Depending on the facts, responsible parties can include:
- The rideshare or taxi driver
- Uber's or Lyft's commercial insurer (trip-dependent)
- The taxi's insurer or the TLC base
- Another at-fault driver and their insurer
- A vehicle or parts manufacturer in a defect case
Deadlines that matter
Most New York injury lawsuits must be filed within three years of the crash. But if a city bus, the MTA, or another public entity was involved, a Notice of Claim is generally due within 90 days and suit within one year and 90 days. Evidence fades fast, so earlier is always stronger.
What to do now
- Get checked by a doctor right away, even if you feel “okay” — adrenaline hides injuries, and a gap in treatment is the first thing an insurer attacks.
- Open a No-Fault claim with your own auto insurer promptly; the application is generally due within 30 days of the crash.
- Photograph the vehicles, the street, traffic signals, and your injuries, and write down the police report number.
- Get names and numbers for every driver, passenger, and witness before anyone leaves.
- Keep a short daily note of pain, missed work, and out-of-pocket costs.
Mistakes to avoid
A good case can be undercut in the first days. Watch for these:
- Giving the other driver's insurer a recorded statement, or accepting a quick settlement, before you know what your claim is worth — early offers are usually low and final.
- Posting about the crash, your injuries, or your activities on social media.
- Letting treatment lapse; insurers read missed appointments as proof you weren't really hurt.
- Assuming you can't be helped because you have no health insurance — No-Fault may cover your bills.
What affects your case's value
No one can responsibly promise a number before reviewing your records. These are the factors that actually move it:
- Whether the app was active and which coverage layer applies
- Injury severity and permanence
- The strength of the medical record
- Lost income
- Available commercial coverage limits
This is general information about how injury claims are evaluated — not a valuation or prediction of any outcome.
Frequently asked questions
I was a passenger — whose insurance pays?
It depends on what each driver was doing. If your Uber or Lyft driver caused the crash while you were riding, the company's commercial policy generally applies. If another driver caused it, their insurance and possibly your driver's UM coverage come into play.
Can an Uber or Lyft driver bring a claim too?
Yes. Drivers can pursue No-Fault benefits and, depending on the circumstances and the app status, claims against an at-fault party or the platform's coverage.
Does it matter that I ordered the ride on an app?
The trip record and app status are actually helpful evidence — they help establish which coverage layer was in force at the moment of the crash.
Is a yellow cab different from Uber?
Yes. Taxis carry their own insurance through the medallion owner or base, governed by TLC rules, rather than Uber's or Lyft's commercial policy.