The big firms chase passengers. Almost nobody fights for the driver. If you drive for Uber or Lyft in New Orleans and you were hurt behind the wheel, you are not out of luck, and you are not stuck with whatever your personal auto carrier tells you. The coverage exists. You just have to know which policy to point at.
Start with what your personal policy is going to say. Most personal auto policies exclude commercial use, and driving for a rideshare app counts. Your own carrier will likely tell you the claim is excluded the moment they learn the app was on. That is often true for your personal policy. It is not the end of the conversation.
Logged in and waiting (phase two). Louisiana’s rideshare law (La. R.S. 45:201.6) requires coverage of at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per incident for bodily injury, plus $25,000 in property damage, from the moment you log in until you accept a ride. If the other driver caused the crash and carries nothing, uninsured motorist coverage is required in this phase too.
On a trip (phase three). Once you accept a ride, through drop-off, the law requires at least $1,000,000 in coverage for death, bodily injury, and property damage. That policy covers you as the driver, not only your passenger. If the crash was the other driver’s fault, the company’s uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage is what fills the gap when their policy runs out.
Two things the statute says that adjusters leave out. First, the rideshare company’s coverage is primary. It cannot send you back to your personal carrier to collect a denial first. Second, if your personal policy has lapsed or excludes rideshare driving, the company’s policy has to pay from the first dollar and has to defend you. Those are not negotiating positions. They are the law.
What a driver should do in the first 24 hours. Screenshot the app before anything else: trip status, timestamps, the ride request, the route. Phase is the whole fight, and the app record proves it. Get checked by a doctor even if you feel fine; adrenaline hides injuries, and a gap in treatment is the first thing an adjuster uses against you. Report the crash in the app so the company’s own records show it. Then call a lawyer before you give a recorded statement to anyone, including your own carrier.
The deactivation problem. Drivers tell me they hesitate to report a crash because they fear deactivation. I understand it, and I can’t promise what the company will do with your account. What I can tell you is that an unreported crash is a crash with no record, and no record means no claim. Your injuries don’t go away because the app does.
If you drive for a rideshare company anywhere in Louisiana and you were hurt, call (504) 684-4444. The consultation is free, you talk to the attorney, and there’s no fee unless we win. Se habla español.
Attorney advertising. This post is legal information and commentary, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Coverage amounts reflect Louisiana statutory minimums as of the date of publication; actual policies and facts vary. “No fee unless we win” refers to attorney’s fees; clients may remain responsible for case costs and expenses.
