Uber rides are part of daily life in Burbank. People use them to get to Burbank Bob Hope Airport, to get home from Downtown Burbank restaurants, to travel along Hollywood Way and Olive Avenue, and to commute across Los Angeles County. Most rides end without incident. But when something goes wrong, the legal situation can be significantly more complicated than a standard car accident.
If you were injured in an Uber-related crash in Burbank, you may be dealing with multiple insurance companies, questions about who is actually responsible, and a rideshare company whose claims process is not designed to make things easy for injured people.
The Law Offices of Adrianos Facchetti helps passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, and other drivers injured in Uber accidents across Burbank and Los Angeles County. If you need a Burbank rideshare accident lawyer to review your case and explain your next steps, our team is ready to help. We work on contingency, meaning you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.
Free, confidential consultation – Call (626) 793-8607 – available 24 hours a day.
Why Uber Accidents Are More Complex Than Regular Car Crashes
In a standard car accident, you typically deal with two drivers and two insurance companies. An Uber accident can involve three or more: the Uber driver’s personal insurance, Uber’s commercial policy, the insurance of any other drivers involved, and potentially Uber’s uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.
The core issue that makes these cases complex is how Uber classifies its drivers. Because Uber drivers are classified as independent contractors rather than employees, Uber routinely takes the position that its liability is limited. How much coverage applies depends entirely on what the driver was doing at the exact moment of the crash.
This is not a technicality, it’s the central issue in most Uber accident claims. Getting it wrong means leaving significant compensation on the table.
How Uber’s Insurance Works and When It Applies
Uber’s insurance operates in three distinct phases depending on the driver’s app status at the time of the crash.
When the App Is Off
If the driver’s Uber app was completely off at the time of the accident, Uber’s insurance does not apply at all. Only the driver’s personal auto insurance covers the crash. If the driver’s personal policy is insufficient, your options may be limited to a direct claim against the driver.
When the Driver Is Waiting for a Ride Request
If the driver had the app on and was available but had not yet accepted a ride request, Uber provides limited liability coverage: $50,000 per person/$100,000 per accident for bodily injury and $25,000 for property damage. This is a period that sees many accidents in Burbank because drivers often circle busy pickup areas near the airport, Magnolia Park, or the Downtown entertainment district waiting for requests.
When the Driver Has Accepted a Ride or Has a Passenger
Once a driver accepts a ride request or picks up a passenger, Uber’s $1 million liability policy activates. This is the highest level of coverage and applies to accidents that occur while the driver is en route to pick up a passenger or actively transporting one.
Understanding which phase applies to your accident is one of the first things we determine when you contact us. Uber’s app logs and trip data record this information, and we can subpoena it if needed.
Who Was Involved in Your Burbank Uber Accident?
Uber accidents involve different types of injured people, and each situation carries different legal considerations.
You Were an Uber Passenger
As a passenger, you were not operating the vehicle and bear no fault for the crash. If your Uber driver caused the accident, Uber’s $1 million policy applies. If another driver caused the accident, both that driver’s insurance and Uber’s uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage may come into play. You have the strongest legal position of any injured party in an Uber accident.
What you should do: report the accident through the Uber app, seek medical care immediately, and contact a lawyer before speaking with any insurance adjuster. Adjusters representing both the driver and Uber will contact you, sometimes quickly, and their goal is to resolve your claim for as little as possible.
An Uber Driver Hit Your Car, Bike, or You as a Pedestrian
If an Uber driver hit your vehicle, struck you while you were cycling, or hit you as a pedestrian, your claim depends on the driver’s app status at the time of the crash. If the driver was actively on a trip, Uber’s $1 million policy applies. If the driver was waiting for a ride, the limited coverage applies. If the app was off, you are dealing with the driver’s personal policy only.
Burbank’s busiest pedestrian corridors, including San Fernando Boulevard, Magnolia Boulevard, and the streets surrounding Burbank Town Center, see significant rideshare traffic. Uber drivers navigating these areas while distracted by their app create serious hazards for cyclists and pedestrians.
A Third-Party Driver Caused the Crash
Sometimes another driver causes the accident while you are riding in an Uber. In this scenario, you may have claims against both the third-party driver and Uber’s uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage if the at-fault driver’s policy is insufficient. This is one of the more complicated scenarios because multiple policies and parties are involved simultaneously.
What to Do After an Uber Accident in Burbank
The steps you take in the first hours after an Uber crash directly affect your ability to recover compensation.
- Call 911 and get medical attention. Even if you feel fine, call for help. Some injuries (including concussions, soft tissue damage, and internal bleeding) do not produce immediate symptoms. A medical record created the day of the accident establishes the connection between the crash and your injuries.
- Do not leave the scene without documentation. Take photos of all vehicle damage, road conditions, traffic signals, license plates, and any visible injuries. Get the names and phone numbers of witnesses.
- Get the Uber driver’s information. Name, license plate, vehicle make and model, driver’s license number, and personal insurance information. You can also find some of this information in the Uber app under your trip history.
- Report the accident in the Uber app. Uber requires accident reporting through the app. Do this, but keep your description factual and brief. Do not speculate about fault or the extent of your injuries.
- Do not give a recorded statement to any insurance company. This includes Uber’s insurance partner. Adjusters will call you, sometimes within hours of the accident. Politely decline to give a recorded statement until you have spoken with a lawyer.
- Contact a Burbank Uber accident lawyer. The sooner a lawyer is involved, the better position you are in to preserve evidence, identify all applicable insurance policies, and respond to the claims process from a position of strength.
Evidence That Disappears Fast – Why Acting Quickly Matters
Uber accident cases involve evidence that does not exist in standard car accident claims. Uber maintains detailed trip data including the driver’s GPS route, app status, speed at the time of the crash, and ride history. This data can be subpoenaed but only if a legal hold is placed before it is purged from Uber’s systems.
Dashcam footage from the Uber vehicle or nearby traffic cameras, witness memories, and skid marks at the scene all deteriorate quickly. California’s statute of limitations for personal injury claims is two years from the date of the accident under California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1. But waiting two years to start building your case means much of the most useful evidence will be gone.
If the accident involved a government vehicle or occurred in an area where a government entity may share liability, the deadline to file a government tort claim is six months under Government Code § 911.2.
What Compensation May Be Available After a Burbank Uber Accident
Compensation in an Uber accident case falls into three categories.
Economic damages are your measurable financial losses: all past and future medical expenses, lost wages from time missed at work, reduced future earning capacity if a permanent injury affects your ability to work, vehicle repair or replacement costs, and other out-of-pocket expenses directly caused by the crash.
Non-economic damages compensate for the personal impact of the injury: physical pain, emotional suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium, and disfigurement or scarring. These are not subject to a cap in personal injury cases (unlike medical malpractice cases under MICRA).
Punitive damages are available in cases where the driver’s conduct was particularly reckless, such as driving under the influence, extreme speeding, or deliberate dangerous behavior. These are awarded in a minority of cases but can substantially increase the total recovery when they apply.
The value of any Uber accident claim depends on the severity of the injury, the clarity of fault, which insurance tier applies, and the strength of the evidence. We do not promise specific outcomes, but we can tell you honestly what we believe your case is worth after a full review.
About Your Burbank Uber Accident Lawyer, Adrianos Facchetti
Adrianos Facchetti has been licensed to practice law in California since 2006 (State Bar No. 243213) and has handled more than 1,000 personal injury cases across Los Angeles County. He is rated Avvo 10.0 Top Attorney, holds a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent® 2025 designation, is BBB-accredited, and was voted MyBurbank’s Best 2025.
Talk to a Burbank Uber Accident Lawyer for Free
If you were hurt in an Uber accident in Burbank, the most important step right now is a free, honest conversation about what happened and what your options are.
We will review the details of your case, explain which insurance coverage applies, and tell you directly whether we believe you have a claim worth pursuing. It takes five minutes and there is no obligation.
If we take your case, you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. No upfront fees. No hourly charges. No cost to you unless we win.
Call (626) 793-8607 – free consultation, 24 hours a day.
The information on this page is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
