Uber completed more than 1.8 billion trips in the U.S. in 2021 and 2022 alone, according to the company’s own safety report. When one of those trips ends in a crash, the insurance that applies depends on what the driver was doing in the app, who caused the collision, and which policies are involved.
If you were hurt in an Uber accident in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, or elsewhere in Hampton Roads, Rutter Mills can help you understand your options. Call or text (757) 777-7777.
Uber is a multi-billion-dollar company that touts its commitment to passenger safety. However, its insurer is quick to dispute or outright deny accident claims. For passengers involved in Uber car accidents, this can raise important questions.
At Rutter Mills, we don’t back down until we achieve a settlement that truly represents our client’s past, current, and future losses. Whether we are dealing with Uber directly, the driver’s auto insurance, or a third-party, we know how to maximize your recovery.
After an Uber accident, Rutter Mills works to uncover every insurance policy that could pay, secure the evidence your claim depends on, and take the insurance companies off your plate. With Uber, part of that evidence may live inside the app, so the first step is confirming what the driver’s app showed at the moment of the crash.
How Rutter Mills’ rideshare accident lawyers can help after an Uber crash:
Under Virginia’s rideshare insurance law, the insurance an Uber driver must carry changes with the driver’s app status when the crash happens.
The law sets minimum coverage amounts, not limits, so an actual policy can carry more:
Source: Va. Code § 46.2-2099.52
An Uber driver with the app turned off is treated like any other driver for insurance purposes, so Virginia’s rideshare insurance requirements don’t apply to that crash.
Injured people typically seek payment from the at-fault driver’s liability policy. Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage on their own policy may help if that driver has no insurance or too little of it.
In Virginia, a logged-in Uber driver who hasn’t accepted a ride must be covered for at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per incident for bodily injury, and $25,000 for property damage. Those same minimums cover the gap between trips, until the driver accepts a new request or logs off.
Virginia requires this coverage to be primary and to include uninsured and underinsured motorist protection. It can come from the driver’s rideshare policy, Uber’s insurance, or a combination of the two.
When an Uber driver accepts a trip request, the liability coverage Virginia requires rises to at least $1 million. That level stays in place until the ride ends and the transaction in the app closes, whichever comes later. The policy must be primary, must include uninsured and underinsured motorist protection, and can’t wait for the driver’s personal insurer to deny the claim before it pays.
The timeline matters because the moment an Uber driver accepts a ride, Virginia’s required liability coverage rises from $50,000 per injured person to $1 million in total. Virginia law lets an injured person or their attorney send Uber a written request with the crash’s date, approximate time, and location. Uber then has 30 days to disclose whether the driver was logged in, had accepted a trip, or had a rider in the car. If the app malfunctions while a driver is on the way to a pickup or transporting a passenger, the law treats the $1 million coverage as applying until the passenger gets out.
Not under Virginia’s rideshare law. The same statute sets the insurance requirements and the rules on rideshare company liability for Uber, Lyft, and every other transportation network company in the state, including at least $1 million in liability coverage once a driver accepts a ride. The coverage minimums, the 30-day disclosure requirement, and the filing deadlines don’t change based on which app the driver was using.
Rutter Mills’ attorneys handle crashes involving either company. For a Lyft crash, see our Lyft car accident lawyers page.
The driver who caused an Uber crash is generally the one legally responsible for it, and that may be the Uber driver, another motorist, or both. Uber says every U.S. driver goes through a motor vehicle records review and a criminal background check before their first trip.
A clean record at signup doesn’t rule out drowsy driving, distracted driving, speeding, or drunk driving later on. When the other driver is at fault but lacks enough insurance, people riding in the Uber may be able to turn to the rideshare uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.
Before you speak with any adjuster, a rideshare accident attorney can look at the police report, the driver’s app status, and the policies involved.
Suing Uber directly is possible in some cases, but many Uber accident claims are brought against the at-fault driver and resolved through the insurance that covers the trip.
Whether Uber itself can be held responsible depends on the facts of the crash, including Uber’s classification of its drivers as independent contractors rather than employees.
If the Uber driver’s negligence caused your injuries, you may be able to bring a claim against the driver. During an accepted ride, Virginia law gives the insurer providing the required rideshare coverage the exclusive duty to defend liability claims arising from the crash, including claims against the driver.
Depending on the facts, a claim may name more than one party, such as the Uber driver, another motorist whose negligence contributed to the crash, and in some situations Uber itself. A Rutter Mills attorney can evaluate which parties the evidence supports before any claim is filed.
Virginia’s rideshare insurance law states that it doesn’t limit a rideshare company’s liability above the required insurance coverage. The same law bars a rideshare company from using a contract, receipt, rule, or regulation to exempt itself from liability the law would otherwise impose for injuries to passengers in its care.
Neither provision makes Uber automatically liable for a crash, but both can matter when a claim involves Uber directly.
People injured in an Uber accident may be able to recover compensation for:
The amount of coverage within reach in an Uber claim turns on three things: the driver’s app status, who was at fault, and which policies are in play. Uber passengers get an added protection under Virginia law.
Underinsured motorist coverage that applies while they’re riding in the Uber is paid without a credit for the at-fault driver’s coverage, so the other driver’s payout doesn’t shrink it.
Families who lost someone in an Uber crash can also get help from Rutter Mills’ fatal car accident and wrongful death attorneys.
The first priorities after an Uber crash are your safety, a record of the trip and the scene, and medical care. Work through these steps when you’re able:
The trip record in your Uber app can help establish whether a ride was underway when the crash happened, which changes the rideshare coverage Virginia requires. Our guide to the do’s and don’ts after a car accident has more detail.
Hiring a lawyer after an Uber accident is optional in Virginia, but legal representation can help when several insurers are involved, another driver’s role is in dispute, or your injuries are serious. An attorney can confirm the Uber driver’s app status and identify every party involved before an adjuster asks for your side of the story.
In March 2026, Rutter Mills attorney Georgina D. Montgomery secured a $100,000 settlement for a Hampton resident who was T-boned by an Uber driver on Warwick Boulevard.
The crash happened in March 2025, and five months of negotiations failed to produce a fair settlement. After the firm filed suit in Newport News Circuit Court, the case settled less than a week later.
Two Virginia rules apply to every Uber accident claim:
Uber passengers, other drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists can all be hurt in a rideshare crash, and each faces a different mix of insurance policies. Rutter Mills’ Virginia car accident lawyers handle rideshare claims and know how the state’s rideshare insurance law plays out in practice.
From offices in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Hampton, and Chesapeake, our personal injury team serves clients in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News, and nearby communities. Tell us what happened, and we’ll review your coverage and give you a straight answer about your options.
Call or text (757) 777-7777 for a free case review.
Your first consultation with Rutter Mills about an Uber accident claim costs nothing and doesn’t commit you to anything. The firm handles these cases on a contingency fee, which means no legal fees unless it secures a settlement or court award for you.
An Uber passenger injury claim generally follows four steps:
Rutter Mills can handle the adjusters and each step of the claim for you.
Uber’s 2021–2022 US Safety Report shows that most Uber-related deaths involving risky driving were attributed to drivers who weren’t using the Uber app. Uber reported these U.S. figures for 2021 and 2022:
Uber’s report counts every fatality regardless of fault. When Uber later reviewed its fatal crashes from 2017 and 2018, it found the Uber driver’s actions likely led to the crash in 18% of cases and did not appear to contribute in 58%. Uber also reports that its fatality rate stayed below the national average, though it notes the two rates can’t be compared directly.
Virginia’s annual crash report doesn’t track rideshare vehicles separately.
Yes, Uber screens its drivers. According to Uber’s 2021–2022 US Safety Report, every U.S. driver goes through a motor vehicle records review and a criminal background check before their first trip. Uber says it reruns those checks each year and uses technology to monitor new criminal records.
More than 750,000 prospective drivers didn’t make it through Uber’s screening in 2021 and 2022, and more than 185,000 drivers had been removed through ongoing checks as of the report’s publication. Screening can’t prevent every crash.
They may. Uber’s RideCheck feature is designed to detect possible crashes and send an in-app check-in to both the rider and driver. Riders and drivers can also record trip audio through Uber’s Audio Recording feature, and some drivers register dashcams with Uber.
According to Uber, audio recordings are encrypted and can only be accessed by Uber if a user shares them in a safety report, and Uber can only view dashcam footage if the driver chooses to share it. A rideshare accident attorney can help determine whether any of these records exist in your case.
It doesn’t. Virginia Code § 46.2-1094(D) bars treating a missing seat belt as negligence, using it to reduce damages, or raising it as evidence or in attorney comments in a car accident case.
Virginia has required everyone in a vehicle to be restrained, in every seat, since July 1, 2025, and according to Uber, its app plays a seat belt reminder when a trip starts. Going without one still won’t hurt an Uber passenger’s claim.
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If you’ve been injured on the job, workers’ compensation insurance may entitle you to critical assistance like medical treatment, lost wages, and more. But insurance companies will put up an aggressive fight to resist paying you the compensation you need and deserve. Rutter Mills can help get you the money you deserve.
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