I Was a Passenger in an Uber or Lyft Accident in Nashville. What Should I Do?

If you were a passenger in an Uber or Lyft accident in Nashville, you’ve got to focus on your safety and well-being first and foremost. You weren’t driving. You weren’t in control. You trusted someone else to get you where you needed to go, and now you’re hurt, shaken up, and not sure what to do next.

Rideshare crashes can be more complicated than regular car accidents because Uber, Lyft, the rideshare driver, another driver, and multiple insurance companies may all be involved. But your first job isn’t to figure any of that out from the back seat of a wrecked car. Your first job is to get medical care and make sure you’re safe.

Here’s what to know if you were hurt as a passenger in an Uber or Lyft crash in Nashville.

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The Real Deal: Being a Passenger in an Uber or Lyft Accident

The quick take on Uber or Lyft accidents in Nashville:

• Get medical care
• Report the crash
• Save everything you can
• Don’t give a detailed or recorded statement
• Rideshare insurance coverage depends on the driver’s status
• Tennessee allows only 1 year to file a personal injury lawsuit

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What To Do if You Were a Passenger When Your Uber or Lyft Was in a Crash (7 Steps)

1. Get Medical Care

Your health comes first. Call 911 if you or anyone else is seriously hurt, dizzy, bleeding, in pain, or unsure what happened. Even if you seem to feel okay, get checked out as soon as you can. Concussions, neck or back injuries, and soft tissue damage can take a bit to show up.

2. Move to Safety if You Can

If you’re in a dangerous spot and you can move without making your injuries worse, get away from traffic. If you can’t move safely, wait for emergency help.

3. Call the Police

A police report can help document the crash, the drivers involved, witness information, and insurance details. If you’re taken for treatment before you can speak with an officer, that’s okay. Your Nashville rideshare accident attorney can help get the report later.

4. Save Your Uber or Lyft Trip Details

Take screenshots of:

• Your trip receipt
• The driver’s name
• Vehicle information
• Pickup & drop-off locations
• Route
• Messages in the app or otherwise

This helps prove you were a passenger during an active rideshare trip.

5. Report the Crash in the App

Tell Uber or Lyft that there was a crash and you were injured. Keep it short and factual. You do NOT need to guess who caused the crash.

6. Take Photos & Collect Info if You Can

If you or a trusted friend or loved one can, take photos of the following:

• Vehicles
• Crash scene
• License plates
• Visible injuries
• Road conditions

If witnesses stopped, get their names and phone numbers. But remember, only do what you can at this point. If you can’t get all this because you needed emergency care, that’s okay. Your lawyer can investigate while you get healthy.

7. Be Careful with Insurance Calls

Insurance adjusters may sound friendly, but they’re protecting their company’s money. Don’t give a recorded statement, accept any blame at all, or agree to take a quick settlement before you know the extent of your injuries and have discussed the case with a Nashville rideshare accident attorney.

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Who’s Responsible for My Medical Bills & Losses?

This is where rideshare claims get complicated.

As a passenger, you (generally) were not at fault. But the real question is: whose insurance should pay for my medical bills and other expenses?

Responsibility may be on:

• The Uber or Lyft driver, if they caused the crash
• Another driver, if they hit your rideshare vehicle
• Both drivers, if they share fault
• Uber or Lyft’s insurance carrier, depending on the driver’s app status
• An uninsured or underinsured motorist policy, if the at-fault driver had too little insurance

Tennessee requires different amounts of insurance coverage based on what the rideshare driver is doing at the time of the crash (§ 55-12-141):

1. If the driver is logged in to the app but hasn’t accepted a ride yet, the law requires at least $50,000 in coverage for injuries or death to one person, $100,000 per accident for injuries or death, and $25,000 for property damage.
2. Once the driver accepts a ride or is transporting a passenger, the required coverage increases to at least $1,000,000 for injuries, death, and property damage.
3. Tennessee also requires at least $1,000,000 in uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage during a prearranged ride to help protect people if another driver doesn’t have enough insurance.

We need to know the driver’s status at the time of the crash. Were they offline? Logged in and waiting? On the way to pick someone up? Already carrying you as a passenger? The answer can affect the insurance policy that applies.

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What Damages Are Available for Passengers in Rideshare Accidents?

If you were hurt in an Uber or Lyft accident in Nashville, you may be able to get compensation for the losses the crash caused. Those damages can include:

• Emergency medical care
• Hospital bills
• Physical therapy
• Medications
• Future medical treatment
• Lost wages
• Loss of future income
• Pain & suffering
• Emotional distress
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Out-of-pocket costs

Roughly 2,442,581 people were injured in U.S. police-reported traffic crashes in 2023 (NHTSA). Crash injuries aren’t rare, unfortunately, and the claims are rarely simple, especially if a rideshare vehicle was involved.

Given what’s at stake, it’s important to act quickly to protect yourself. The Tennessee statute of limitations on rideshare accident injury lawsuits is just 1 year (Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104). That’s just 365 days to figure out how your life has been impacted, negotiate with insurers, and file a lawsuit if they won’t play fair.

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Do I Need To Hire a Nashville Rideshare Accident Attorney?

You should talk to a Nashville Uber or Lyft accident attorney if you need medical care, missed work, or are getting calls from insurance companies.

You may especially need a lawyer if:

• Uber, Lyft, or an insurance company is delaying your claim
• The rideshare driver & another driver are blaming each other
• You don’t know which insurance policy applies
• Your injuries are serious or ongoing
• You were offered a quick settlement that doesn’t cover your losses
• You’re worried about your medical bills and missed work

A lawyer can help identify the right insurance coverage, gather records, deal with the insurance companies, and act before Tennessee’s deadline creates problems. More importantly, a lawyer can help you make decisions with consideration for your health, your losses, and your future.

Call Bernheim Kelley: Real Experience. Real Advocacy. Real Justice.

If you were hurt as a passenger in an Uber or Lyft accident in Nashville, Bernheim Kelley Injury Lawyers is here to help you get real answers.

We Keep It Real. That means we’ll listen, explain your options clearly, and help you understand what comes next. You’ll have a team behind you that knows how these claims work and how insurance companies try to avoid responsibility.

We’ve recovered over $1 billion for clients. We’re trial-ready, experienced, multilingual, and client-centered. If you need help finding medical treatment or transportation, we can do that. And if you can’t come to us, we can come to you.

It costs nothing to find out if you have a claim. Call Bernheim Kelley Injury Lawyers today at 615-813-1111 or reach out online for a FREE case review.