An insurer can look at a rideshare crash that happened only seconds after a driver opened an app and say coverage depends on whether the driver was offline, waiting for a request, or already carrying a passenger. That digital log-on status can determine whether an ordinary personal auto policy, limited contingent coverage, or a $1 million policy applies to the crash.
Uber and Lyft accident insurance in Indiana is built around those shifting app statuses, not simply around whether a vehicle displayed a rideshare decal. We’ve represented injured people across Indiana for more than 30 years, and we know that identifying the right policy is only the beginning. Insurers can still dispute fault, challenge the severity of injuries, and question what the driver was actually doing at the moment of impact.
Indiana’s Three Rideshare Insurance Periods
Indiana treats Uber and Lyft as Transportation Network Companies (TNCs), meaning companies that connect riders and drivers through a digital platform. The insurance requirement changes at three distinct points in a driver’s use of that platform.
The App Is Off
When the rideshare app is off, the rideshare company has no insurance obligation under Indiana’s Transportation Network Company law. The driver’s personal auto policy is the likely source of liability coverage, subject to Indiana’s standard 25/50/25 financial responsibility minimums: $25,000 for one person’s bodily injury, $50,000 total bodily injury per crash, and $25,000 for property damage.
Those limits can be quickly exhausted when a crash causes emergency treatment, missed work, vehicle damage, or injuries to more than one person. A passenger, another driver, cyclist, or pedestrian may also need to examine available uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, which can apply when the at-fault driver has no insurance or inadequate limits.
The Driver Is Logged In & Waiting
Once a driver is logged into the rideshare app but hasn’t accepted a trip, Indiana Code 8-2.1-19.1-8 requires a different level of coverage. For incidents after June 30, 2024, that means at least $50,000 for bodily injury to one person, $100,000 for bodily injury in one incident, and $50,000 for property damage.
This waiting period is often called contingent liability coverage because it can depend on what other coverage is available. It’s also the period that generates the most disputes: the driver may insist the app was off while app records show the driver was actively available for rides.
A Ride Has Been Accepted
After a driver accepts a prearranged ride, Indiana requires at least $1,000,000 in combined primary liability insurance for death, bodily injury, and property damage through the passenger’s drop-off. Primary liability insurance is the policy that responds first to claims against an at-fault driver, rather than waiting for another policy to be exhausted first.
That $1 million figure doesn’t mean every injured person automatically receives $1 million. The injured person must still establish fault, prove damages, and address any arguments that another party contributed to the collision.
Why the Driver’s Own Policy May Not Pay
Indiana Code 8-2.1-19.1-10 permits personal insurers to exclude losses that occur while a driver is logged onto a TNC’s digital network. This exclusion matters most during the waiting period: a driver might have purchased ordinary personal coverage that protects them while commuting or running errands, yet their insurer can deny a rideshare-related loss because the driver was available to accept paid trips. Sorting out coverage therefore requires examining both app activity and the actual language of the driver’s policy.
Indiana law also requires applicable TNC coverage to provide first-dollar coverage when the driver’s insurance has lapsed or doesn’t satisfy the required coverage for that period. That means the TNC insurer must begin responding without requiring the injured person to first collect the unavailable amount from the driver’s personal insurer.
A further complication arises when a driver is logged into both Uber and Lyft while waiting for a request. Each insurer may examine its own policy terms, app records, and timestamps before deciding whether its coverage is primary. Trip data, digital log-on records, GPS information, and the timing of a ride request can help resolve which company’s policy applied.
How Indiana’s Fault Rule Affects What You Can Recover
Under the Indiana Comparative Fault Act, an injured person can’t recover damages if their share of fault exceeds 50 percent. At 50 percent or less, their damages are reduced by that percentage. A person with $100,000 in proven damages who is found 30 percent at fault could recover $70,000, assuming sufficient insurance coverage exists. At 51 percent, that person recovers nothing from the other responsible parties under Indiana Code 34-51-2-6.
This rule applies in every coverage period. An insurer handling a driver who had accepted a ride can still argue that a passenger distracted the driver, another motorist changed lanes unsafely, or a pedestrian stepped into traffic unexpectedly. Those fault arguments should be tested against evidence rather than accepted at face value. Vehicle damage patterns, traffic camera footage, witness accounts, police reports, phone records, and app data can each help show how the collision actually occurred.
The Two-Year Deadline for an Indiana Rideshare Claim
Indiana Code 34-11-2-4 generally gives an injured person two years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit. Missing that deadline can bar the claim entirely, regardless of how serious the injury was or how much insurance was available. Waiting also creates practical problems well before the two-year mark: app timestamps, trip records, GPS data, dash camera footage, and witness memories become harder to obtain over time, and insurance carriers may impose their own reporting requirements separate from the lawsuit filing deadline.
Protecting Your Claim after a Rideshare Crash
The first records created after a crash often answer the question insurers focus on most: what was the rideshare driver doing in the app when the collision happened? Preserve that information before a trip screen disappears or an app updates its display.
Useful records to preserve:
- Trip Screens: Screenshot the trip screen, driver name, vehicle information, route, pickup time, drop-off time, and any ride receipt.
- Crash Documentation: Photograph vehicle positions, damage, road conditions, traffic signals, visible injuries, and the surrounding area when it’s safe to do so.
- Medical Records: Keep discharge paperwork, treatment recommendations, prescriptions, bills, and records of work missed because of the injury.
- Witness Information: Save names, phone numbers, and any written or recorded observations from people who saw the collision.
- Insurance Notices: Retain every letter, email, claim number, and coverage denial from personal or rideshare insurers.
We use these records to evaluate which coverage tier applies and whether an insurer’s fault assessment holds up against the evidence. Our EZ Case smartphone app gives clients real-time access to case progress and estimated case value while an Indiana injury claim moves forward.
Coverage questions can remain complicated even after the active app period is clear, because competing insurers and comparative fault arguments can still affect what you recover. At Shaw Law, we represent injured clients on a contingency basis, meaning no fee is owed unless we recover compensation. To discuss a rideshare crash, contact us at (260) 777-7777.