Injured as a Rideshare Passenger: Next Steps
For a rideshare passenger, the app record is a key to identifying the trip, vehicle, driver and when the passenger period began and ended. Arrange appropriate care and preserve the original ride receipt, route and in-app incident communications. Coverage can depend on the ride stage and the kind of claim. Current California law distinguishes primary liability coverage from passenger-period uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage; an older regulator summary lists a superseded amount for the latter.
Hurt Advice editorial guide. Source review: . This guide does not state that the attorney authored, reviewed or approved it. Visit the profile for public licensing and background records.
Review the attorney’s public background, then confirm experience and availability directly.
Raffi Naljian
Founder, Civil Litigation, Personal Injury & Criminal Defense Attorney
Raffi Garabed Naljian is the founder of Naljian Law Offices and an active California attorney under State Bar #238919. A Los Angeles Times profile says he founded the firm in 2008 after beginning his legal career in 1997, and the State Bar lists personal injury, litigation, criminal law, and business law among his self-reported practice areas.
View Raffi Naljian's full verified profilePrimary identity record
Learn more about Raffi Naljian
This is a focused supporting page. Use Raffi Naljian's full sourced attorney profile as the primary identity record for biography, role, languages, office information, and public-record links. Review that profile alongside the issue-specific preparation and public sources below.
The State Bar record lists Raffi Garabed Naljian as an active California attorney, State Bar #238919. Hurt Advice is a separate referral and legal information service, not the attorney's law firm.
How to Evaluate Attorney Fit for This Issue
Ask a prospective lawyer to identify the trip period, each involved vehicle and the applicable policy type before quoting any coverage limit. A platform receipt can identify a trip, but does not by itself establish who caused the collision or how an insurer must resolve it.
Consultation worksheet
Rideshare trip-stage worksheet
Use ride records to anchor the timeline. A legal coverage conclusion requires the current statute, policy and facts.
There is no submit or save action. Copy your notes before leaving this page.
Where did the impact occur, and what app record shows whether you had entered or exited the vehicle?
Which driver, vehicle, platform and other party are confirmed by the receipt, report or photographs?
Who holds the app event log, platform safety report, dashcam and traffic or business video?
Is the issue the rideshare driver’s liability, another driver’s liability or an uninsured-driver claim? Which policy is in writing?
Sources for this guide
- California Public Utilities Code section 5433
Current primary statute for transportation-network-company insurance by ride stage and coverage type; used instead of an older CPUC summary amount for passenger UM/UIM.
- California Public Utilities Commission: Transportation network companies
Official definition and oversight context for an app-based transportation network company.
- California Department of Insurance: So You Have Had an Accident
Official accident and auto-claim guidance on safety, exchanging information, documenting a collision, and contacting an insurer.
- California DMV: Report of Traffic Accident Occurring in California (SR-1)
Explains when the separate DMV accident report is required, what information it needs, and the applicable timing.
What to Do Next
- 1Address injuries and report the crash to the investigating agency; save its number and the other vehicle’s identity if available.
- 2Export or screenshot the original app receipt, accepted pickup, pickup/drop-off time, route, driver and vehicle identifiers and in-app messages.
- 3Report the incident through the platform’s safety channel and keep the report confirmation; preserve the original record rather than editing screenshots.
- 4Ask which insurer and policy applies to each vehicle and the documented ride stage, then check any separate DMV report duty for a qualifying collision.
Evidence Checklist
- Trip receipt, booking time, pickup/drop-off status, route and app conversation
- Platform incident number, driver and vehicle identifiers, other driver and collision report number
- Scene and vehicle photos, witness contacts, medical chronology and insurer correspondence
- Actual insurance declarations or written coverage positions for the relevant ride period
Keep your unanswered questions handy when comparing the attorney’s public profile with your needs.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Assuming a screenshot of a ride request proves the passenger was already inside the vehicle
- Treating the platform’s incident acknowledgment as an insurer’s coverage acceptance
- Confusing primary liability limits with uninsured or underinsured motorist limits
- Copying the older CPUC summary’s passenger-period UM/UIM amount without checking current Public Utilities Code section 5433 and the crash date
How the Process Typically Works
Preserve trip identity
Save the original receipt and ride-stage timestamps before app history changes.
Identify collision and insurance parties
Record each vehicle, investigating agency, platform report and potential insurer.
Check the correct coverage question
Compare the passenger period, current statute, actual policy and claim type with the documented crash.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every rideshare period have the same insurance?
No. California Public Utilities Code section 5433 distinguishes the app-waiting stage from accepted rides and passenger occupancy, and distinguishes liability from uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. Check the crash date and actual policy.
Can I rely on the CPUC insurance summary’s one-million-dollar passenger UM/UIM figure?
No. The current statute changed that passenger-period UM/UIM amount in 2026. The CPUC page may still display the earlier figure; section 5433 and the applicable policy should be checked for the incident date.
What if another driver caused the collision?
Identify the other driver and any written insurer positions. The ride receipt still helps establish the trip stage; it does not decide which party was responsible or which source will pay.
Use the attorney’s public background as a starting point for a direct conversation about fit.
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