A rideshare trip across Ann Arbor should not end in an emergency room at Michigan Medicine. When an Uber or Lyft crash leaves you hurt, the Ann Arbor rideshare accident lawyers at Christensen Law are here to listen, protect your rights, and fight for the recovery you deserve. Since 1991, we have stood beside injured people in Washtenaw County and across the state.
Rideshare claims are rarely simple. Several insurance policies can apply to a single crash, the driver’s app status can change who pays, and Michigan’s no-fault system layers its own rules on top.
We handle that complexity for you, so you can focus on healing. If you would rather start with the broader picture, our Ann Arbor car accident lawyers cover the fundamentals that apply to every auto claim.
Call Christensen Law 24/7 at (734) 519-7576 for a free, no-risk consultation with an Ann Arbor rideshare accident lawyer.
CHRISTENSEN LAW HAS A 24 HOUR RAPID RESPONSE SERVICE
Why Ann Arbor Rideshare Crashes Are Different
Ann Arbor runs on rideshare. With tens of thousands of University of Michigan students, faculty, and visitors moving through the city, Uber and Lyft cars are a constant presence around campus and downtown. That volume means more chances for a crash and more complicated claims when one happens.
Student riders cluster at pickup zones along South University Avenue, State Street, and the South Main bar district on weekend nights. Add football Saturdays at Michigan Stadium, when more than 100,000 fans crowd the streets, and the risk climbs sharply. Busy corridors such as Washtenaw Avenue, Plymouth Road, and Stadium Boulevard carry heavy rideshare traffic all year.
As a rider, you hand control of the trip to someone else. You do not choose the route, the vehicle, or how closely the driver watches the road, which leaves you dependent on their judgment. When that judgment fails, both the injuries and the insurance questions land on you.
We know these streets, and we know how Washtenaw County claims are handled. That local knowledge helps us build cases that reflect how and where these crashes really happen.
Who Pays in a Rideshare Crash in Ann Arbor?
The answer depends almost entirely on what the driver’s app was doing at the moment of the crash. Michigan regulates Uber and Lyft as transportation network companies, and the coverage available shifts across three distinct periods.
Michigan’s Transportation Network Company law, part of the Limousine, Taxicab, and Transportation Network Company Act, sets these tiers. Here is how coverage generally breaks down:
- App on, waiting for a ride request: lower limits apply, typically around $50,000 per person and $100,000 per crash for bodily injury, plus $25,000 for property damage.
- Ride accepted, driver heading to pick you up: Uber and Lyft each carry a $1 million commercial liability policy.
- Passenger in the vehicle, from pickup to drop-off: the same $1 million policy applies, the highest level of coverage available.
Because a single minute can move a crash from a small policy to a $1 million policy, the driver’s exact app status is the most contested fact in these cases. We move quickly to preserve trip screenshots, app data, and records that lock down that status before it disappears.
Michigan treats rideshare drivers as independent contractors rather than employees. That status limits when Uber or Lyft can be held responsible for a driver’s conduct, which is one more reason these claims call for careful legal work. We know how to reach the correct commercial policy even when a company tries to keep its distance.
How Does Michigan No-Fault Cover Uber and Lyft Passengers?
Michigan no-fault Personal Injury Protection, or PIP, pays your medical bills and wage loss regardless of who caused the crash. As an injured passenger pursuing a Lyft passenger injury claim in Washtenaw County, you can turn to PIP benefits no matter who was at fault.
Which insurer pays follows a priority order set by state law (MCL 500.3114). After the 2019 no-fault reform, that order generally starts with your own auto policy, then a spouse or resident relative’s policy, and then other sources such as the rideshare driver’s insurer or the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan.
The simpler idea that “the car you were riding in pays” is an oversimplification that can cost you benefits. We identify the correct insurer in the correct order, so nothing you are owed slips through the cracks.
Coordinated coverage choices and your health insurance can also change which bills get paid first, and in what order. We review your policy selections closely, so you are not left paying costs that no-fault should cover. Small details in a policy can make a large difference in your recovery.
Ann Arbor Rideshare Accident Scenarios We Handle
Rideshare crashes take many forms, and each one raises its own coverage questions. Our Ann Arbor Uber accident attorneys handle the full range of these cases, including:
- Passenger injuries, whether your Uber or Lyft driver caused the crash or another motorist did.
- Struck-by-rideshare cases, where a pedestrian or cyclist is hit by a rideshare car near campus or downtown.
- Multi-vehicle collisions on corridors like US-23 or M-14, where several drivers and insurers point fingers at one another.
- Hit-and-run and uninsured driver crashes, where uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may come into play.
Whatever the scenario, we trace every policy that could contribute and pursue each responsible party. No two rideshare crashes are identical, so we tailor the investigation to the facts in front of us. That thorough approach is how we protect the full value of your claim.
What Injuries Do Ann Arbor Rideshare Crashes Cause?
Rideshare crashes can cause anything from bruises to life-altering harm, and the serious ones are our focus. As a passenger, you often have no warning and no way to brace, which can make injuries worse than the driver’s.
We frequently see traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, broken bones, internal injuries, and severe soft-tissue trauma. Many of our Washtenaw County clients receive care at Michigan Medicine or St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, and we work closely with treating providers to document the full extent of each injury.
Some symptoms take time to appear, especially with head and neck trauma. That is why we encourage every rideshare client to follow up with their doctors and to keep each appointment. Consistent treatment protects both your health and your claim.
Accurate medical documentation drives fair compensation. We build a clear record that connects your injuries to the crash and to your future needs, from surgery to attendant care.
When Can You Sue for Pain and Suffering After a Rideshare Crash?
You can pursue pain and suffering damages when your injury clears Michigan’s serious impairment threshold. Under state law (MCL 500.3135), that means an objectively manifested injury to an important body function that affects your general ability to lead your normal life.
Michigan also follows a modified comparative fault rule (MCL 600.2959). You can still recover compensation even if you were partly at fault, as long as you were not more than 50% responsible, though your award is reduced by your share of the blame.
Deadlines here are strict. You generally have one year from the crash to apply for no-fault PIP benefits (MCL 500.3145) and three years to file a third-party lawsuit for pain and suffering. Talking with an Ann Arbor rideshare accident lawyer early keeps every option open.
How Our Ann Arbor Rideshare Accident Lawyers Build Your Case
We prepare every case as if it is going to trial, because that readiness is what moves insurance companies. From the first day, we gather app records, the police report, camera footage, and medical evidence that ties your injuries directly to the crash.
We also let the evidence speak for itself. As Managing Partner, Sarah Stempky-Kime describes our approach: we like to let the treatment team do the talking and let the defense reveal its own weaknesses. Your story and your doctors’ findings carry the case.
That approach produces results. Christensen Law has secured a $17.8 million motor vehicle accident verdict and a $9.5 million recovery, among many others, for injured Michigan clients. Insurance companies know our record on Michigan rideshare accident claims, and that reputation changes how they treat your case.
We also prepare each case for a Washtenaw County jury from the very start. Local juries respond to clear, honest storytelling backed by solid medical proof, and that is exactly how we present your losses. When insurers see that level of preparation, fair offers tend to follow.
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Why Choose Christensen Law for Your Ann Arbor Uber Accident Claim?
We are elite Michigan trial lawyers who treat clients like family and take insurance companies to court when they refuse to pay fairly. We are not a volume settlement mill. Instead, we focus on serious, life-altering injuries and the people living through them.
Our credentials reflect that commitment:
- Founder David Christensen is a Michigan Hall of Fame attorney, a member of ABOTA (the American Board of Trial Advocates), and holds AV Preeminent status from Martindale-Hubbell.
- Managing Partner Sarah Stempky-Kime is a recognized Leader in the Law and also an ABOTA member.
- We are available for free consultations 24/7 and carry a 4.9 to 5.0 review rating across our office locations.
Our Listen, Protect, Win philosophy is more than a slogan. We listen to your story, we protect you from aggressive insurance tactics, and we fight to win the justice you deserve. Call us to put that commitment to work for your family.
FAQs about Ann Arbor Rideshare Accident Claims
Here are answers to questions we often hear from injured rideshare riders in Ann Arbor and across Washtenaw County.
Get medical care right away, even if you feel fine, because some serious injuries surface hours or days later. If you are able, save a screenshot of your trip and the driver’s information from the app, since that data helps establish which coverage applies. Then reach out to an Ann Arbor rideshare accident lawyer before giving any recorded statement to an adjuster.
Yes, and as a passenger you are almost never assigned any fault. You can access no-fault PIP benefits for your medical bills and wage loss, and you may also pursue a third-party claim against whichever driver caused the crash. We pursue both paths at the same time.
It often does. Under Michigan’s no-fault priority rules, your own auto policy or a resident relative’s policy may be the first source of PIP benefits, even though you were riding in someone else’s car. We sort out that order so you are never left guessing where to turn.
Coverage depends on the app status at the moment of impact. If the driver had accepted your ride and was on the way, the $1 million commercial policy generally applies; if the app was merely on with no ride accepted, much lower limits apply. Establishing that timeline is central to the value of your claim.
You generally have one year from the date of the crash to apply for no-fault PIP benefits and three years to file a lawsuit for pain and suffering. Waiting can cost you both evidence and benefits, so it is wise to act quickly. Reaching out early lets us protect the app data and records that matter most.
Nothing up front. We work on a contingency fee, which means you pay no legal fees unless we win your case, and your consultation is always free. You take on no financial risk by asking us to review your claim.
It depends on who was at fault and what each driver’s coverage looks like. You may have claims against the rideshare driver, another motorist, and the applicable commercial or personal insurance policies. We identify every responsible party and pursue each source of recovery available to you.
Contact Our Ann Arbor Rideshare Accident Lawyers Today
An Uber or Lyft crash can change your life in seconds, but you do not have to face the insurance companies alone. Our Ann Arbor rideshare accident lawyers are ready to listen to your story, protect your rights, and win the justice you deserve.
Serving all of Michigan, from the D to the UP, Christensen Law stands with injured people in Ann Arbor, throughout Washtenaw County, and statewide. Call us 24/7 at (734) 519-7576 for a free, no-risk consultation, or reach out online to get started today.
