Rideshare accidents in Birmingham — whether you were a passenger in an Uber or Lyft, a driver struck by a rideshare vehicle, or a pedestrian hit at a pickup zone — involve multiple insurance policies, corporate liability arguments, and a network of lawyers at Uber and Lyft whose job is to minimize what you receive.
Simmons Law represents rideshare accident victims in Birmingham and Jefferson County. The firm's Birmingham office at 1905 14th Ave S handles these cases on contingency — no fee unless there is a recovery.
How Uber and Lyft Insurance Works in Alabama
Uber and Lyft both operate under a tiered insurance structure that determines which policy applies depending on what the driver was doing at the time of the crash.
Period 1 — App on, no ride accepted: Uber and Lyft provide $50,000 per person/$100,000 per accident in liability coverage, plus $25,000 property damage. Period 2/3 — Ride accepted or passenger in car: Both companies provide $1 million in liability coverage, plus underinsured motorist coverage. This matters enormously — if you were in the car when the crash happened, a million-dollar policy is available.
Alabama UM/UIM Coverage Fills the Gaps
Alabama Code § 32-7-23 requires every auto policy to include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage unless the insured rejects it in writing. Rideshare drivers frequently carry inadequate personal policies, and the coverage tiers above can leave gaps when Period 1 applies.
Alabama's made-whole doctrine protects your recovery even further: no insurer or health plan can subrogate against your rideshare settlement until you have been fully compensated for all your losses. Insurance companies routinely violate this rule. Simmons Law enforces it.
High-Risk Areas for Rideshare Crashes in Birmingham
Birmingham's entertainment district around 5th Ave N and downtown sees constant Uber and Lyft pickup activity, particularly on weekends. Drivers stopping in travel lanes, passengers stepping into traffic to reach their ride, and rideshare vehicles making sudden U-turns all create collision scenarios. The UAB campus area on University Blvd generates similar congestion, with rideshare vehicles competing with heavy foot traffic.
Crashes on I-59, I-65, and I-20 involving rideshare vehicles traveling between Birmingham neighborhoods and the airport are also common. At highway speeds, these collisions are rarely minor.
Proving Your Rideshare Accident Claim
Unlike standard car accidents, rideshare cases require obtaining the app data — the ride receipt, the driver's activity logs, and Uber or Lyft's own internal records of the trip. This data confirms which insurance period applies and documents whether the driver was actually active on the platform. Simmons Law obtains this data through preservation demands and discovery.
If the rideshare driver was distracted by the app at the time of the crash, that evidence supports a negligence per se argument under Alabama Code § 32-5A-350, which prohibits distracted driving.
Medical Care and Next Steps
UAB Medical Center, Brookwood Baptist, and Grandview Medical Center serve Jefferson County. Seek care immediately after any rideshare accident. Do not accept Uber's or Lyft's in-app accident reporting as a substitute for a police report — request law enforcement at the scene.
Simmons Law also handles rideshare accident cases in Mobile at the firm's office at 102 St Michael St.
For other types of Birmingham accidents, see Simmons Law's Birmingham car accident page and general Alabama Uber/Lyft accident information.
Injured riders in Mobile County can reach Simmons Law through the Mobile car accident attorney page.
