Burlington Rideshare Accident Lawyer

A single Uber or Lyft ride can upend your health, your finances, and your ability to work. One moment you are heading home from Church Street or catching a lift to BTV, and the next you are in an emergency room trying to figure out whose insurance covers what. Rideshare crashes in Burlington rarely leave victims with clear answers, and the companies behind those apps count on that confusion to protect their bottom line.

At Promoting Justice Injury & Car Accident Lawyers, we believe you deserve straight answers, real advocacy, and an attorney who treats your recovery as personally as you do. Our experienced auto accident attorneys understand how Uber and Lyft build their claims playbooks, how their adjusters pressure victims into low settlements, and how to hold every negligent party financially responsible for the harm you now carry.

Get your free case evaluation today and discover how our experienced rideshare accident lawyers in Burlington, VT, can help you seek the justice and compensation you deserve.

Why Rideshare Crashes Are More Complex than Typical Car Accidents

Rideshare accidents involve legal and insurance complexities that a standard car crash simply does not. Multiple policies can apply at once, Uber and Lyft’s corporate legal teams get involved immediately, and the coverage available to you shifts based on what the driver was doing in the app at the exact moment of impact.

At Promoting Justice, we focus on representing injured Vermonters rather than corporations or insurers. Every case we take is plaintiff-side, and every strategy we build exists to hold negligent parties fully accountable.

Do You Have a Valid Rideshare Claim in Burlington?

You likely have a claim if a rideshare driver’s negligence, or another driver’s negligence during your trip, caused your injuries. Vermont is a fault-based state, meaning the party responsible for causing the crash, not your own insurance company, is legally required to compensate you for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

Your role in the accident shapes your legal position:

• Passengers have the strongest claims because you bear no responsibility for how the driver operated the vehicle.
• Pedestrians and cyclists can pursue the rideshare driver’s commercial coverage if the driver’s app was active at the time of impact.
• Other motorists struck by an Uber or Lyft vehicle can file claims against the driver and, depending on app status, the rideshare company’s corporate policy.

Who Is Liable after a Burlington Rideshare Accident?

Liability rarely rests on one party. Depending on the facts, we may pursue multiple defendants simultaneously:

• The Uber or Lyft driver who caused or contributed to the crash
• A negligent third-party driver whose actions played a role
• Uber or Lyft as a corporation, if they failed to screen drivers or retained one with a history of dangerous behavior
• A vehicle manufacturer if a defective component caused or worsened the collision
• A municipality if a hazardous road condition contributed to the crash

We investigate every angle so no responsible party and no available source of compensation is overlooked.

We recovered $1.13 million in a motor vehicle collision case, the kind of result that comes from pursuing every liable party at once rather than settling for whichever single policy is easiest to reach.

How Uber and Lyft Insurance Works

The coverage available to you depends entirely on the driver’s app status at the moment of impact. Rideshare companies and their insurers exploit every gap in this tiered system to minimize payouts, and knowing how it works gives you a critical advantage.

App Off, Personal Insurance Only

When the app is closed, only the driver’s personal auto policy applies. Most personal policies exclude commercial driving, which can leave you without a meaningful source of compensation.

App On, No Ride Accepted

Once a driver logs in, a contingent liability policy activates, but it is significantly lower than Uber or Lyft’s full commercial coverage. It covers only injuries the driver causes to others, not to the driver themselves.

Ride Accepted through Passenger Drop-Off

From the moment a driver accepts a trip until the passenger exits the vehicle, Uber and Lyft’s $1 million commercial liability policy remains in full effect. This period also activates up to $1 million in UM/UIM coverage, protection that pays when an at-fault driver’s insurance falls short of your losses.

Your Own Policy Can Add Protection

Medical Payments coverage (MedPay) on your personal auto policy pays your immediate medical bills regardless of fault. Your own UM/UIM coverage can also stack on top of the rideshare company’s limits when your total losses exceed what their policy covers.

What to Do after a Burlington Rideshare Accident

The steps you take immediately after an accident can affect the strength of your claim. Follow these steps.

1. Get medical care immediately. Some injuries, concussions, internal bleeding, show no symptoms right away. A same-day evaluation creates a medical record that ties your injuries directly to the crash.
2. Call 911. A police report locks in the facts before details are disputed or forgotten.
3. Screenshot your trip in the app. Before Uber or Lyft archives the data, capture the driver’s name, vehicle information, and trip status, this is often the single most important piece of evidence for establishing which insurance tier applies.
4. Document the scene. Photograph vehicles, road conditions, your visible injuries, and nearby signage before you leave.
5. Report carefully. When using the in-app report tool, state only the objective facts. Avoid apologizing, minimizing your injuries, or speculating about fault.
6. Decline a recorded statement. You are not required to give one, and doing so without legal counsel is one of the most common mistakes injured victims make.

What Evidence We Secure from Uber and Lyft

Neither company will release damaging evidence without legal pressure. We issue litigation hold letters and formal demands immediately to preserve:

• GPS and speed data from the moment of impact
• App records confirming whether a trip was active and which coverage tier applies
• The driver’s full ride history and any prior complaints or safety violations
• Background check and onboarding documentation used to vet, or fail to vet, the driver

This data is routinely overwritten. Contacting our firm on the day of your accident gives us the best possible chance of locking it down before it is gone.

What Compensation You Can Recover

Vermont law allows you to pursue full compensation for every measurable and personal impact this crash has had on your life. We build your damages claim methodically, accounting for losses you have already incurred and the costs that still lie ahead. Recoverable damages include:

• Medical expenses: Emergency care, surgeries, imaging, rehabilitation, and any future treatment your injuries require
• Lost wages and earning capacity: Income lost during recovery and future earnings reduced by a lasting disability
• Pain and suffering: Chronic pain, anxiety, emotional distress, and the loss of relationships and activities you once valued
• Property damage: Vehicle repairs and personal items, phone, laptop, child car seat, damaged or destroyed in the crash
• Punitive damages: Available in rare cases of gross recklessness, such as a rideshare driver operating under the influence

How Vermont’s Comparative Negligence Law Affects Your Case

Vermont follows modified comparative negligence, a rule that allows you to recover damages even if you were partly at fault, as long as your share of responsibility does not exceed 50%. Your final award is reduced by your percentage of fault.

For rideshare passengers, this question almost never arises because you had no control over how the driver operated the vehicle and nothing you did contributed to the crash.

Vermont’s Deadline to File a Rideshare Injury Claim

Vermont’s statute of limitations, the legal deadline to file a lawsuit, is three years from the date of the accident for most personal injury claims. Missing this date permanently ends your right to seek compensation in court.

Claims involving a government entity, such as those tied to dangerous road maintenance, may carry much shorter notice requirements. We identify every applicable deadline when you come in for your free initial consultation.

How We Handle the Insurance Companies

After a rideshare crash, insurance adjusters get to work immediately, not to help you, but to find reasons to pay as little as possible.

Attorney Linda Fraas spent years as insurance defense counsel and now applies that insider knowledge exclusively against the companies she once represented. She knows how they evaluate claims, where they look for weaknesses, and how they justify lowball offers.

We prepare every case as though it is going to trial. Insurers respond accordingly.

Call us before you speak to any adjuster. Your free consultation costs you nothing.

Our Burlington Rideshare Accident Team

Our attorneys bring extensive experience and dedicated advocacy to your case. Dennis O. Shillen, our AV Preeminent-rated founder, has fought for injured Vermonters for more than four decades.

1. James Mackall is a published legal author and a member of the Vermont Association for Justice Board of Governors. Nicholas J. Seldon is admitted in Vermont and New Hampshire, and Jack T. Spicer holds a J.D. and a Master of Law in Environmental Law and Policy.

Our dedicated legal assistants provide experienced support to personal injury clients.

We have obtained significant recoveries for our clients, including settlements in combined automobile and workers’ compensation matters and for clients who suffered traumatic brain injuries. We serve Burlington and all of Vermont from our Woodstock headquarters and will come to you if you cannot travel.

No Fee Unless We Win

We take every rideshare accident case on a contingency fee basis, no upfront costs, no hourly billing, and no legal fees unless we recover compensation for you. We also advance all litigation costs on your behalf.

Call us now or fill out our online form to schedule your free, confidential case review.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Vermont a No-Fault or At-Fault State for Car Accident Claims?

Vermont is an at-fault state, meaning the driver who caused the crash, not your own insurer, is responsible for compensating you for your injuries and losses.

What Is Vermont’s Statute of Limitations for a Rideshare Injury Claim?

Most personal injury claims must be filed within three years of the accident, but claims against government entities can carry notice deadlines as short as several months.

Can Multiple Insurance Policies Cover a Single Rideshare Accident?

Yes, one crash can simultaneously trigger the rideshare driver’s personal policy, Uber or Lyft’s commercial coverage, a third-party driver’s liability insurance, and your own UM/UIM coverage.

Should I Accept Uber or Lyft’s First Settlement Offer?

No, early settlement offers arrive before the full extent of your injuries is known and are almost always far below what you are entitled to. Let us evaluate any offer before you sign anything.

Does Uber or Lyft’s Commercial Policy Apply if I Was Hit as a Pedestrian?

Yes, if the driver’s app was active when they struck you, Uber or Lyft’s commercial liability coverage applies regardless of whether you were a passenger in the vehicle.