When an Uber or Lyft crash hurts you in Broward, the first question is whose insurance pays — and the answer depends on what the driver's app was doing at the moment of impact. A Fort Lauderdale Uber accident lawyer who knows that rule can be the difference between a denied claim and a million dollars of coverage. Same-day, confidential case review. No fee unless we recover for you.
A rideshare crash is not a normal car crash. When you are hit by — or riding in — an Uber or Lyft, there can be three or four insurance policies stacked on the same wreck: the driver's personal auto policy, the rideshare company's coverage, your own coverage, and sometimes a third driver's. Which one pays, and how much, turns on a single fact most people never think to check: what the driver's app was doing the moment the cars hit.
This trips up injured people constantly. You assume the billion-dollar rideshare company will cover you, so you sign a quick release or skip the doctor. Then the claim comes back denied because the driver had the app off, or because the adjuster says the trip had already ended. By then the evidence that proves the app phase — the trip log, the GPS data, the timestamp on the ride request — is harder to get and easier for the company to spin.
That is the real work in a rideshare case: nailing down the exact app phase, finding every policy that applies, and stopping the insurer from squeezing you into the smallest one. The first days matter most. Call us before you give any recorded statement — the review is free, and we know exactly what records to lock down.
Florida's Transportation Network Company Act sets three coverage levels, and which one applies depends entirely on what the driver's app was doing. Here are the rules that control a Fort Lauderdale Uber or Lyft claim.
Fla. Stat. § 627.748
Florida's Transportation Network Company (TNC) Act ties coverage to the driver's app. App off: only the driver's personal auto policy applies. App on, waiting for a ride: the company must carry at least $50,000 per person / $100,000 per crash in injury coverage. Ride accepted, en route, or passenger aboard: coverage jumps to at least $1 million. One fact — the app phase — can move your claim from a thin personal policy to a million-dollar policy.
Fla. Stat. § 627.736
Florida is a no-fault state, so Personal Injury Protection (PIP) still pays your early medical bills no matter who caused the crash — but only if you treat within 14 days. As a passenger, your own PIP (or a household member's) usually pays first; if you have none, the driver's may apply. PIP is just the starting layer. The rideshare policy is where the real recovery lives once your injury crosses the threshold.
Fla. Stat. § 627.737
To recover for pain and suffering — not just medical bills — your injury has to cross Florida's permanent-injury threshold: a permanent injury, significant scarring or disfigurement, or death. Crossing that line is what opens up the rideshare company's larger policy. Proving it with the right medical evidence is often the whole ballgame.
Fla. Stat. § 95.11(4)(a) amended 2023
The 2023 reform (House Bill 837) cut the deadline for most injury lawsuits from four years to two years from the date of the crash. Rideshare cases can take time to untangle because of the layered policies, so the clock matters even more. Wait too long and the court can throw out an otherwise strong claim.
This page provides general information about Florida law and is not legal advice. Statutes and case law change; your specific case requires a consultation.
Few cities lean on rideshare like ours. The airport, the nightlife, and the beach hotels mean Ubers and Lyfts are everywhere — and so are the crashes. Here is where we see Broward riders and drivers get hurt.
Forty years on these roads means we know how a Broward jury sees a 2 a.m. Las Olas pickup — and how to get the trip log that proves the app phase.
At a lot of firms, your case gets handed to a case manager and you barely speak to a lawyer. That is not how we work. Robert DiStefano has practiced Florida personal injury for more than 40 years, and he is the one who pulls the trip records, identifies every policy on the wreck, and deals with the rideshare insurer directly.
You pay nothing up front. We take rideshare cases on contingency — no fee unless we recover for you — and the first case review is free. See related case results →
Call or send the form. We ask the questions that pin down the app phase and give you a candid assessment of whether you have a case — same day, at no cost to you.
We move fast to lock the trip log, GPS data, and ride timestamps, line up every policy that applies, and handle the adjusters so you do not say something that shrinks your claim.
We prove your injury crosses the threshold, reach the right policy for the app phase — up to the $1 million layer — and push for full payment, in settlement or at trial.
Hurt in a different kind of wreck? We also handle everyday car accident claims and commercial truck collisions, each of which follows its own insurance rules.
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“The best lawyer in South Florida. Thank you DiStefano for all the hard work that you and your team have done to get me amazing results.”
Taravia Google
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“I had a wonderful experience with Robert! He fought hard for me and kept me in the loop the whole time. The whole office is just great!”
Paulavia Google
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“Mr. DiStefano is the best! Kept me up to date with everything, and his paralegal Michelle also kept us informed. Happy with my settlement — I highly recommend him.”
Stacy Leevia Google
Tell us what happened. We will find every policy on your wreck. The review is free, and you pay no fee unless we recover for you.
(954) 572-8000