Uber Accident Lawyer Encino for Uber and Lyft Crashes

You ordered a ride on Ventura Boulevard, or an Uber driver ran a light and hit you. Now you have a hospital bill, a sore neck, and a friendly-sounding email from a rideshare company. Treat it for what it is: an insurance claim, and the company wants to pay as little as it can. Rideshare crashes differ from ordinary car wrecks. The coverage changes with the driver's app status, and several parties may point at each other. Moe Abdallah Law, P.C. handles Uber and Lyft cases across Los Angeles. Moe reviews your case himself, preserves the trip record, and keeps you updated by call and text. Below you will find the Encino streets involved, which policy may pay, how to get your police report, and the deadlines that apply. The first review is free, and you pay nothing unless Moe wins.

Ventura Boulevard pickups and the streets around them

Rideshare crashes tend to start at the curb. Drivers brake hard to find a rider, stop in a travel lane, pull out without checking, or open a door into traffic. Ventura Boulevard is the main commercial street in Encino, so pickups and drop-offs bunch up along it and the cross streets that feed it: Balboa Boulevard, White Oak Avenue, Louise Avenue, Hayvenhurst Avenue, and Densmore Avenue. Sepulveda Boulevard and Burbank Boulevard add more through traffic. Drivers also exit the US-101 and the I-405 into Encino while following a navigation prompt, and a late lane change or a sudden stop can cause a rear-end hit. We have not found official crash counts that rank any Encino rideshare location, so we won't call one a hotspot. Here is what the record does show. On September 12, 2026, a two-vehicle crash at Ventura Boulevard and Densmore Avenue killed a woman and injured six people, per FOX 11. The report did not say rideshare was involved. It still shows how serious a Ventura Boulevard collision can be, and why you should document the scene right away.

The app phase decides which policy pays

California's rideshare insurance changes with what the driver's app was doing. With the app off, the driver is an ordinary motorist, and the driver's own policy comes first. State minimums are $30,000 per person, $60,000 per accident, and $15,000 for property damage on policies issued or renewed since January 1, 2025 (Vehicle Code 16056). While the driver is logged on and waiting for a request, coverage that pays first (from the driver's rideshare policy, the company's policy, or both) must be at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per incident for injury or death, plus $30,000 for property damage. The company must also carry $200,000 per occurrence in excess coverage (Public Utilities Code 5433(c)). From the moment the driver accepts a ride until the trip is done, coverage of $1,000,000 for death, injury, and property damage pays first (5433(b)(1)). That $1 million is the policy minimum, and the statute does not cap what the company may owe above it (5433(f)). A personal auto policy does not have to cover a logged-on rideshare driver unless it expressly does (5434). You have to prove the phase, which is why the trip record matters. Insurers sometimes argue the driver was between phases, which would drop you to a lower tier.

Getting the trip record before it disappears

Uber and Lyft keep data on every trip: when the driver logged on, when the request was accepted, the GPS path, and when the ride ended. That record can settle which coverage phase applied. It can also show the driver took a call, followed a navigation prompt, or sped to make a pickup. Don't count on the company handing it over just because you ask. Moe sends a preservation letter and later uses discovery to get it. You can help now. Screenshot your trip receipt and the driver's name, photo, car, and plate from the app. Save texts and emails from the company. Photograph the damage, the road, and traffic signs. If you were a passenger, write down what you saw the driver do before the crash, such as using a phone or speeding. Ask witnesses for contact details. Stay off social media about the crash. And don't accept a quick offer from the company's adjuster before you know the full cost of your injuries. If the crash happened on Ventura Boulevard, ask the shops and restaurants near the spot about their cameras soon. Their video may show the pickup and the crash itself.

Passenger, other driver, pedestrian, or cyclist: your seat matters

Your claim depends on where you were sitting or standing. As a passenger, you may claim against your driver's coverage, and if another car caused the crash, against that driver as well. Since January 1, 2026, SB 371 requires the rideshare company to carry uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage of $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident, which applies from when you enter the car until you exit (Public Utilities Code 5433(b)(2)). That protects you if the at-fault driver has no insurance or too little. If you were in another car and an Uber or Lyft driver hit you, your claim runs against that driver and the company's policy for the phase involved. Pedestrians and cyclists in Encino fall in this group too, and your own medical coverage or UM coverage may also be in play. Insurers often argue the passenger or the other motorist shares blame. California's pure comparative negligence rule, from Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804, lets you recover even if you were partly at fault. Your award is reduced by your percentage. Moe lines up every available policy before any demand goes out.

LAPD West Valley, the SR-1, and your deadlines

LAPD's West Valley Community Police Station, at 19020 Vanowen Street in Reseda, covers Encino, and the Valley Traffic Division, at 7870 Nollan Place in Panorama City, handles traffic in the Valley. Request your collision report through LAPD's online Traffic Collision Report page and allow at least 45 days. If an arrest, a death, or a juvenile is involved, send the request by mail with the LAPD form and a $19.00 check or money order. If the CHP handled a freeway crash, request that report from the CHP. California also requires a DMV SR-1 report within 10 days if the crash caused injury or more than $1,000 in damage (Vehicle Code 16000). You have two years to sue for injury (Code of Civil Procedure 335.1) and three years for vehicle damage. If a city vehicle or road defect also played a part, you must present a government claim to the City Clerk within six months (Gov. Code 911.2). In the version of the Los Angeles Superior Court rules we reviewed, unlimited injury suits are filed at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse downtown. Moe confirms venue before filing.

Rideshare injuries, Encino hospitals, and the insurer's playbook

Rideshare crashes cause whiplash, concussions, shoulder and knee injuries, broken bones, and spinal injuries, and some cases involve brain injury. Encino Hospital Medical Center at 16237 Ventura Boulevard is the local general acute care hospital, and Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana and Northridge Hospital Medical Center are also nearby. Ask the paramedics where they are taking you, and tell the ER you were in a rideshare crash. Keep your records and finish your treatment plan. Expect three moves from the other side. First, they may claim the driver was an independent contractor and the company owes nothing. Second, they may say the app phase was lower than you say. Third, they will make a low early offer. In one of Moe's cases the at-fault insurer offered $900, and the total recovery reached $75,000. Past results do not predict a similar outcome, but they show why the first number is rarely the right one. The firm works on contingency, so you pay no fee unless Moe wins. Call (323) 716-1992 any hour for a free review. Se habla Español. Bring your trip receipt to your first doctor visit so your records tie the injuries to the ride.

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Call (323) 716-1992 for a free, no-obligation case review. You pay nothing unless we win, and we'll handle the insurance companies for you. Learn more about our uber / lyft accidents representation →

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