Uber & Lyft Accident Lawyer in Miami

Uber and Lyft are everywhere in Miami — from the South Beach nightlife scene to Brickell business commutes to MIA airport runs. They are convenient, and they are also responsible for thousands of crashes every year across South Florida. Rideshare crashes raise insurance and legal questions that ordinary auto cases do not, because the coverage that responds to your injuries depends entirely on what the driver was doing at the exact moment of the crash. A Miami rideshare accident lawyer who understands the layered Uber and Lyft insurance scheme — and Florida's Transportation Network Company (TNC) statute — can make sure the right insurance carrier pays the right amount.

Florida's TNC Insurance Statute

Florida Statute § 627.748 requires every Transportation Network Company (Uber, Lyft, and similar) to maintain specific minimum levels of insurance for its drivers, with coverage that varies by the driver's "period":

• Period 0 — App off. The driver is not logged into the rideshare app. Only the driver's personal auto policy applies.
• Period 1 — App on, no ride accepted. The TNC must provide at least $50,000 per person / $100,000 per accident in bodily injury liability and $25,000 in property damage.
• Period 2 — Ride accepted, en route to pick up. The TNC must provide at least $1 million in combined bodily injury, property damage, and uninsured motorist coverage.
• Period 3 — Passenger in vehicle. The same $1 million limit applies.

The "which period was the driver in" question often controls how much insurance is available — and Uber and Lyft both fight aggressively to characterize a driver as being in Period 0 or Period 1 rather than Period 2 or 3. Trip data, GPS logs, and dispatch records from the rideshare company are essential evidence, and we obtain them through formal preservation demands and (if necessary) subpoenas in litigation.

Common Miami Rideshare Crash Scenarios

• You were a rideshare passenger when your Uber or Lyft was struck by another vehicle
• You were a rideshare passenger when your Uber or Lyft driver caused the crash
• You were the driver of another vehicle struck by an Uber or Lyft
• You were a pedestrian or cyclist struck by a rideshare vehicle
• You were the rideshare driver hurt in a crash caused by another driver — your own claim against Uber/Lyft's UM coverage may apply

Why Rideshare Cases Are Different From Ordinary Crashes

In addition to the layered TNC insurance scheme, rideshare cases involve:

• Multiple potential defendants and insurers. The driver's personal carrier, the TNC's contingent or primary policy, the at-fault third-party driver's carrier, and your own UM carrier may all be involved.
• Aggressive denial-of-coverage strategies. Uber and Lyft are skilled at arguing that the driver was off-duty or in a less-coverage period.
• Independent-contractor defenses. Both companies classify drivers as independent contractors and use that classification to limit corporate liability beyond the statutory insurance minimums.
• Trip data battles. The exact second the driver swiped to "accept" or "complete" a ride often determines coverage, and that data is in the rideshare company's exclusive control.

Florida No-Fault PIP and Rideshare

If you were a passenger in an Uber or Lyft when the crash happened, your own auto PIP policy (or that of a resident relative) is the first source of medical-bill coverage, up to its $10,000 limit and subject to the 14-day medical-treatment requirement. If you do not have your own PIP coverage, the rideshare company's commercial policy will respond. Your serious injury — almost any rideshare case involving real injury crosses Florida's "serious injury" threshold under § 627.737 — opens the door to a full liability claim against whichever driver caused the crash.

What to Do After a Miami Rideshare Crash

• Call 911 — make sure a Florida Traffic Crash Report is generated
• Take a screenshot of your trip in the Uber or Lyft app showing the date, time, route, and driver's name and license plate before the trip disappears from your history
• Photograph the vehicles, the scene, and any visible injuries
• Get witness names and contact information
• Seek medical evaluation within 14 days to preserve PIP benefits
• Do not give a recorded statement to any insurance company without speaking to a lawyer first

If you have been hurt in an Uber or Lyft crash anywhere in Miami-Dade or Broward County, the Law Offices of Albert Goodwin can help. Call 786-522-1411 or email [email protected] for a free consultation.