Atlanta Lyft Accident Lawyer

Who pays depends on the driver’s app status at the moment of the crash. Georgia’s rideshare insurance law, O.C.G.A. § 33-1-24, sets different minimums for each period.

App Off

When the Lyft app is off, the driver is a private motorist and the driver’s personal auto policy applies. Lyft’s help page states that “Lyft does not have a policy that applies when your app is off.” In that case, the claim looks like any other Georgia car crash claim.

App On, Waiting for a Ride Request

While the driver is logged on but has not accepted a ride, Georgia requires at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for injuries, plus $50,000 for property damage (O.C.G.A. § 33-1-24(b)(2)). Lyft says its third-party liability coverage in this period applies if the driver’s personal insurance does not. The statute does not set an uninsured motorist minimum for this waiting period.

Ride Accepted Through Drop-Off

From the moment the driver accepts a ride until the ride ends, Georgia requires at least $1,000,000 in liability coverage (O.C.G.A. § 33-1-24(b)(3)). Lyft’s insurance page states that, in most markets, it carries at least $1,000,000 in third-party liability while the driver is en route to a pickup and during a ride, which matches the Georgia minimum. For crashes on or after July 1, 2023, the required uninsured and underinsured motorist (UM) coverage in this period is at least $300,000 per accident, with a per-person limit of up to $100,000. Before that date, the statute required $1,000,000 in UM coverage, so the crash date matters. We explain that change in our article on the 2023 rideshare UM change.

Georgia lets this coverage come from a commercial policy, or from a rideshare endorsement on the driver’s own policy combined with excess coverage from the company (O.C.G.A. § 33-1-24(c)). That is why the first job in any Lyft case is finding every policy in play. Our guide to how app on and app off status affects rideshare insurance goes deeper.

If you were riding in a Lyft, the $1,000,000 ride-period coverage applies when the Lyft driver caused the crash. Passengers rarely contribute to a crash, so the main questions are who was at fault and which policies pay. If another driver caused it, that driver’s liability insurer comes first. If that driver had no insurance or too little, the UM coverage required on the rideshare policy during a ride may help.

Depending on your own policy, your personal uninsured motorist coverage may also come into play. One more point for back-seat riders: in lawsuits filed on or after April 21, 2025, evidence that you were not wearing a seat belt can be admitted (O.C.G.A. § 40-8-76.1(d)). We cover passenger claims in more detail in our Atlanta rideshare passenger injury guide.

If a Lyft driver hit you, your claim runs against that driver and whatever insurance applied at that moment. A driver heading to a pickup falls in the $1,000,000 period. If the driver was waiting for a request, the lower $50,000 / $100,000 minimums apply. With the app off, only a personal policy covers the driver.

Pedestrians and cyclists are covered by the same app-period rules, even though they were never in the Lyft. When a crash takes a life, families can review Georgia wrongful death claims with us.

A Lyft driver hurt by someone else’s careless driving has a claim against that at-fault driver, like anyone else. If that driver was uninsured or underinsured and you had a passenger or were heading to a pickup, the UM coverage Georgia requires on the rideshare policy during a ride may cover the gap (O.C.G.A. § 33-1-24(b)(3)). Lyft’s insurance page says its first-party coverages in those periods “may include” uninsured motorist, underinsured motorist, PIP, MedPay and/or occupational accident coverage.

Be careful with your own policy. Georgia allows personal auto insurers to exclude coverage while a driver is logged on to a rideshare app (O.C.G.A. § 33-1-24(g)). For your car, Lyft says it provides contingent collision and comprehensive coverage up to the car’s actual cash value, with a $2,500 deductible, if you carry those coverages on your personal policy. We help with the property damage claim alongside your injury claim.

App records are the core evidence in a Lyft case, so save them right away. Lyft’s ride history tab shows a map overview of each ride, and riders can export receipts as a “Ride Report” email. Lyft also emails a receipt after payment is processed or within 24 hours of a ride.

Take screenshots of the trip screen, including the driver and vehicle details the app showed you. Keep the email receipt. Photos of the scene, the police report, witness names and your medical records round out the file.

Georgia law also shows the company tracks driver log-ins. When a driver’s personal insurer asks during a claim investigation, the rideshare company must share the driver’s log-on and log-off times for 12 hours before and after the crash (O.C.G.A. § 33-1-24(h)). A preservation letter matters too. Georgia courts hold that a party’s duty to preserve evidence begins when it knows, or reasonably should know, that litigation is being contemplated (Phillips v. Harmon, 297 Ga. 386 (2015)).

Call 911, get medical care and document everything you can. Photograph the vehicles, the road and your injuries. Screenshot the Lyft trip before you close the app.

Lyft’s help center directs people to start an accident report to submit a claim for injury or damages, and says the report takes 10 to 15 minutes. Stick to facts in that report and avoid guessing about your injuries. Insurance adjusters may call soon after, so read our tips on handling adjuster calls. Our step-by-step Atlanta car accident checklist covers the rest.

Many Atlanta Lyft trips start at the airport, where pickup spots are set by Hartsfield-Jackson. At the Domestic Terminal, the airport says rideshare pickups occur in the North Economy lot. Passengers go through North baggage claim to the lower-level escalators near doors LN1, then follow orange signs. At the International Terminal, pickups are on the arrival level curb outside doors A1 and A2.

If you were hurt in or near a pickup zone, note the exact spot in your report and photos. The same Georgia statute governs a crash at the airport, on the Downtown Connector, on Peachtree Street in Midtown, or in Gwinnett cities like Lawrenceville, Peachtree Corners and Snellville.

You generally have two years from the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit in Georgia (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33). Property damage claims generally have four years (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-31). App data, video and witness memories can fade much faster, so early action helps.

Georgia reduces your damages by your share of fault, and you recover nothing if you are 50% or more at fault (O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33). Passengers rarely carry fault, but insurers may still argue it.

Jonathan Flack spent two and a half years on the insurance side of commercial truck, tractor-trailer and medical transport van cases before founding the firm. He knows how insurers evaluate commercial policies like the ones behind rideshare coverage. He keeps a limited caseload and works directly on every case, and he is prepared to file suit when an insurer won’t pay fair value.

Jonathan speaks Spanish and works with Spanish-speaking clients directly, without an interpreter. Spanish speakers can read nuestra página sobre accidentes de Uber y Lyft en Atlanta. He has been named a Super Lawyers Rising Star for 2024-2027. For a broader look at both companies, see our Atlanta Uber and Lyft rideshare accident attorney page.

• Atlanta Uber & Lyft Rideshare Accident Attorney
• Hurt as an Uber or Lyft Passenger in Atlanta: Who Pays and What to Do
• Was the Uber Driver’s App On? Why It Changes Your Georgia Claim
• Uber and Lyft Cut Uninsured Motorist Coverage in Georgia: What It Means for You

See all guides for people hurt in Georgia crashes.

If you were hurt in a Lyft crash as a passenger, driver, pedestrian or cyclist, Jonathan Flack can review what happened and which policies apply. Call (678) 653-0309 or contact us online for a free consultation.

Our office is at 1201 W Peachtree St NW, Suite 2300, in Midtown Atlanta. You owe no fee and no case costs unless we recover money for you.