WOMAC ON 'EM
Serving Louisiana for Over 30 Years
Uber & Lyft Accident Lawyer in Mandeville
40,000+ Louisiana Injury Clients. A Mandeville Office Ready for Your Case.
Rideshare crashes aren’t handled like ordinary car accident claims. Figuring out which insurance policy applies, and how much coverage is available depends on exactly what the driver was doing in the app at the moment of impact. At Womac Law Firm, we’ve guided more than 40,000 personal injury clients through Louisiana’s courts since Edward J. Womac, Jr. was admitted to the bar in 1983. Our Mandeville office gives St. Tammany Parish residents a place to sit down with an attorney in person, not just a phone number to call.
Ready to talk through your rideshare accident claim? Call Womac Law Firm today at (504) 470-3935 for a free, confidential case evaluation with no upfront obligation.
How Louisiana’s Rideshare Insurance Law Affects Your Claim
Louisiana law (La. R.S. 45:201.6) governs Transportation Network Companies like Uber and Lyft and sets the minimum insurance coverage they must carry, but the amount available shifts based on the driver’s app status when the crash happened. Identifying the correct tier is the first obstacle in nearly every Mandeville rideshare claim.
- Driver app is off: Only the driver’s personal auto insurance applies. Uber and Lyft coverage doesn’t activate.
- Driver is logged in but hasn’t accepted a ride yet (pre-trip acceptance period): The law requires at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per incident for bodily injury or death, plus $25,000 for property damage.
- Ride accepted or passenger in the vehicle (prearranged ride): Coverage rises to a minimum of $1,000,000 for death, bodily injury, and property damage combined.
Preserving evidence of the driver’s app status immediately after a crash matters for this reason. Screenshots of trip details and app activity can determine whether you’re pursuing a $50,000 policy or a $1,000,000 policy.
Who Can Be Held Liable After a Rideshare Crash
Uber and Lyft classify their drivers as independent contractors rather than employees, which generally limits the companies’ direct liability for a driver’s negligence. That doesn’t mean your only option is the driver’s policy. A crash can involve a third-party driver, a vehicle defect, a road hazard, or a combination of factors that bring other parties into the claim.
Louisiana applies a comparative fault system, so any recovery can be reduced by the percentage of fault attributed to the injured person. We represent rideshare passengers, third-party drivers, and pedestrians struck by a rideshare vehicle, and rideshare drivers hurt through someone else’s negligence. Every claim requires an honest evaluation of who was at fault and in what proportion.
What to Do After an Uber or Lyft Accident in Mandeville
The steps you take in the hours following a rideshare crash can shape your entire claim. Louisiana law requires any driver involved in a collision to stop, identify themselves, and offer reasonable assistance. Beyond that, rideshare accidents carry a unique evidentiary layer that ordinary crashes don’t.
- Call police: For any accident involving injury, death, or significant property damage, get an official report on record. Officers document facts that become harder to reconstruct later.
- Preserve rideshare data immediately: Screenshot your trip details, the driver’s profile, and any in-app communications before they disappear. This data establishes the driver’s app status and confirms which insurance tier applies.
- Seek medical attention: Get evaluated even if you feel fine at the scene. Some injuries take time to surface, and a gap in treatment can create problems for your claim.
- Don’t speak with adjusters first: Insurance adjusters move quickly. Speaking with us first costs you nothing and can help protect you from early missteps.
Filing Deadlines & the 22nd Judicial District Court
Civil lawsuits arising from Mandeville accidents are filed in the 22nd Judicial District Court, which holds civil jurisdiction over St. Tammany and Washington parishes. Knowing the right court is straightforward. Knowing your deadline is not something to leave to chance.
Louisiana extended the prescriptive period (the legal deadline to file a personal injury claim) from one year to two years under Louisiana Civil Code article 3493.1. The two-year window applies to crashes that occurred on or after July 1, 2024. If your accident happened before that date, the prior one-year deadline still controls. Don’t wait to confirm which deadline applies to your case.
How Womac Law Firm Prepares Rideshare Cases for Trial
Our approach is built on trial readiness. We use a mock courtroom and mock juries to prepare every case as though it will go in front of a judge and jury. That preparation puts us in a stronger position at the negotiating table: insurance companies respond differently when they know the firm across from them is ready to try the case.
The Womac family is directly involved in running this firm, and we’ve kept a multi-generational, family-oriented approach to how we treat clients, staff, and the communities we serve. We represent injured people. We don’t represent insurance companies. That commitment is reflected in our recognition among America’s Top 100 Personal Injury Attorneys and in more than 40,000 clients served across Louisiana.
Talk to Our Mandeville Rideshare Accident Attorney at No Cost
There are no upfront legal fees. Our fee is contingent on securing a result for you, so you pay nothing unless we recover on your behalf. If you’ve been injured in an Uber or Lyft accident in Mandeville or anywhere in St. Tammany Parish, the consultation is free and confidential.
Call Womac Law Firm at (504) 470-3935 to speak with our rideshare accident attorney in Mandeville. We’re ready to review your case and help you understand your options.