Lyft crashes can involve more than one insurance policy, and the one that applies depends on what the driver was doing at the time. Indiana law sets minimum coverage for rideshare drivers. The questions below explain how that coverage works for people hurt near Fishers.
What Does Indiana Require of Rideshare Drivers?
Indiana Code Section 8-2.1-19.1-8 requires a driver, or the transportation network company on the driver’s behalf, to keep primary motor vehicle insurance. The policy must recognize that the driver uses a personal vehicle to carry passengers for pay, and it must cover the driver while logged on to the network or on a prearranged ride. These rules apply while the driver is logged on, not just during a ride.
How Much Coverage Applies While a Driver Is Waiting for a Ride?
When a driver is logged on but not yet engaged in a prearranged ride, the minimums are $50,000 per person and $100,000 per incident for death and bodily injury. Property-damage coverage is $50,000 per incident for periods after June 30, 2024. The coverage may come from the driver’s policy, the company’s policy, or a combination of both.
Those limits are modest. A serious injury can exceed them quickly.
What Changes Once a Ride Has Been Accepted?
During a prearranged ride, the required coverage rises to $1,000,000 per incident for death, bodily injury, and property damage. Again, the driver’s insurer, the company’s insurer, or both can supply it. That higher limit is why the driver’s app status matters so much after a crash.
What Happens If the Driver’s Insurance Lapses?
If the driver’s policy lapses or doesn’t provide the required coverage, the company’s insurer must cover the claim from the first dollar and has a duty to defend it. A personal insurer can’t be required to deny the claim first. This rule keeps an injured person from being caught between insurers. Even then, any quick payment should be reviewed before it’s accepted, and the same concerns around the first insurance offer apply to any insurer.
What Must a Driver Share After a Crash?
After an accident, the driver must provide proof of coverage on request and disclose whether he or she was logged on or on a prearranged ride. That information goes to directly interested parties, insurers, and investigating officers. Ask for it at the scene, and write down what you hear. If a driver won’t provide it, tell the investigating officer. Fault still gets sorted out under Indiana fault laws, no matter which insurer pays.
Why Do Passengers and Other Drivers Both Care?
A passenger and the driver of another vehicle may both have claims. A passenger usually wants to know which policy pays medical bills, and the answer ties back to the driver’s status. Passengers and other drivers may deal with different insurers even though they were hurt in the same crash. That difference makes rideshare accident legal options worth understanding early.
Because several insurers can be involved, a Fishers Lyft accident lawyer can help sort out which coverage applies and how to present the claim. The order in which insurers respond can affect how quickly bills get paid.
Which Records Should You Keep?
Screenshots disappear easily. Save screenshots of the ride receipt, the driver’s name and plate number, photos of both vehicles, and every medical bill. If anyone saw the crash, write down who they are before they leave. Insurance adjusters may ask early for statements, which is why settlement offer mistakes are worth reviewing before you talk to anyone.
For crashes on busy local roads, a Fishers car accident lawyer can explain how ordinary collision claims are handled. Those claims follow the standard fault rules rather than the rideshare insurance tiers.
Who Handles These Claims at the Firm?
At Pavlack Law, LLC, our three lawyers have 50 years of experience combined. Attorney Colin Flora, who earned his law degree at Indiana University’s Robert H. McKinney School of Law, is admitted in Indiana and before the federal courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana.
What Is the Best Next Step?
Take photos of the vehicles, gather the ride details, and keep your treatment records together. Anyone injured in or near a Lyft vehicle in Fishers can reach out to us to review which coverage may apply.
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