Pasadena Uber Accident Attorney

Maybe you took a quick ride across Pasadena. Maybe a rideshare driver hit you while you were walking, biking, or driving your own car. Either way, you now have pain, a wrecked schedule, and an insurance company you never picked. A Pasadena Uber accident attorney starts with a question ordinary car crashes never raise. What was the driver doing in the app at the moment of impact? That answer decides whether you face a $1,000,000 policy, a much smaller one, or only a personal auto policy that may refuse the claim. Moe Abdallah Law, P.C. handles Uber and Lyft injury claims for people hurt in and around Pasadena. Attorney Moe Abdallah takes your call himself, any hour. The consultation is free, and you pay no fee unless he wins. Read on for how rideshare coverage works, which Pasadena streets and agencies matter, and what to save before the app records disappear.

Which Uber or Lyft policy pays depends on the app

A normal crash involves two drivers and two policies. A rideshare crash adds a third player, the company, with its own insurance and its own lawyers. Which policy pays depends on what the driver's app was doing. With the app off, the driver is an ordinary motorist and the driver's personal auto policy is the starting point. California's minimum is $30,000 per person, $60,000 per crash, and $15,000 for property damage. With the app on and no ride accepted, state law requires $50,000 per person and $100,000 per incident for injury, $30,000 for property damage, and $200,000 in excess coverage (Public Utilities Code 5433). The driver's personal policy does not have to cover that stretch unless it says so (section 5434). Once the driver accepts a ride, $1,000,000 in coverage applies until the trip ends. If you ride as a passenger, the company must also carry uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage of $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident, a rule that began January 1, 2026. These amounts are floors, and the statute does not cap what the company can owe. The driver's insurer may say the app was off. Moe checks that claim against the trip record.

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

Where you were when the crash happened shapes your claim. A passenger usually claims against the rideshare driver's coverage and sometimes against another driver who caused the wreck. A pedestrian or cyclist hit by a rideshare car claims against the driver and whichever policy the app status unlocks. If you drove your own car and a rideshare driver hit you, the same tiers apply, and your own uninsured motorist coverage may add money when the at-fault limits run short. Companies often say a driver is an independent contractor and call the crash a personal matter. Insurers argue fault too. They claim a passenger distracted the driver, a walker crossed against the signal, or a cyclist was hard to see. California follows pure comparative negligence, so you can recover even when you share blame, but your award drops by your percentage (Li v. Yellow Cab Co.). Under Proposition 51, each defendant pays pain and suffering damages only in proportion to its own fault, so every party at the scene matters. Moe lines up every driver, policy, and company at the start. Then he builds your case from the trip data, scene proof, and witnesses.

Old Pasadena pickups, Colorado Boulevard, and the Lake Avenue strip

Rideshare trips run on the same streets Pasadena has flagged for serious crashes. The city's analysis of 2020 to 2024 collision data found that 13% of its roadways produce 80% of fatal and serious-injury collisions, including Lake Avenue, Washington Boulevard, Orange Grove Boulevard, and Colorado Boulevard. The city's safety plan also lists community-requested projects on Sunset Avenue, East Colorado Boulevard, and Allen Avenue. Pickups and drop-offs in busy districts like Old Pasadena create their own risk. A driver who checks the app for the next passenger, hunts for a curb, or cuts across lanes to reach a rider is distracted. Distracted drivers hurt people in crosswalks and bike lanes. The 2023 state rankings put Pasadena 5th of 62 comparable cities for pedestrian victims and 1st for pedestrian victims aged 65 and older. Riders also get hurt stepping out at a busy curb. Freeway trips add the I-210, SR-134, and the end of the Arroyo Seco Parkway at Glenarm Street. If your trip began or ended at one of Pasadena's six Metro A Line stations (Fillmore, Del Mar, Memorial Park, Lake, Allen, or Sierra Madre Villa), that gives the app record a fixed point to check.

Save the trip record before it disappears

The strongest proof in a rideshare claim sits on company servers, not at the crash scene. The trip record shows when the driver logged in, when the request was accepted, where the car went, and when the trip ended. That timeline can put the crash inside the $1,000,000 window. It can also reveal phone use, a driver working too many hours, or a pickup that pulled the driver off the road. Companies will not hand this over because you ask nicely. Moe sends a preservation demand early. Start your own file too. Screenshot your ride receipt, the driver's name and photo, the license plate, and the pickup and drop-off points. If you were a passenger, keep the app on your phone and do not delete the trip. If a driver hit you outside the car, write down the plate and any rideshare sticker or lit-up sign you saw. Photograph your injuries and the street right away. Businesses along Colorado Boulevard and Lake Avenue may have cameras that caught the crash, and private video is often recorded over, so ask for it fast.

Police reports, claim deadlines, and where your case is heard

The Pasadena Police Department, headquartered at 207 N. Garfield Avenue, takes reports for city street crashes, and you request a copy through its public records page on the City of Pasadena website. The California Highway Patrol normally handles the I-210, SR-134, and SR-110. We could not confirm fees or portal steps because the city's site blocked our review, so check them in your browser or let our office pull the report. Tell the officer you were in a rideshare and name the company, since that detail points everyone toward the right policy later. California also requires a driver to report an injury crash, or one with more than $1,000 in damage, to the DMV within 10 days. You have two years from the crash date to file a lawsuit under Code of Civil Procedure 335.1, and three years for vehicle and property damage. Claims against a government body run on a much shorter clock. If a defective road, a missing sign, or a city vehicle played a part, you generally must present a written claim to the public entity within six months under Government Code 911.2. In Pasadena, those claims go through the City Attorney's Liability and Claims office. We could not verify the filing method or address on the city's site, so confirm them before you act. If the city rejects the claim in writing, you then have six months to sue. Cases that need a lawsuit are filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The Pasadena Courthouse is at 300 East Walnut Street, but its page does not say whether civil injury cases are heard there, so we check the court locator before filing. Moe tracks every deadline while you heal.

Huntington Hospital, injuries, and what adjusters pick apart

Huntington Hospital sits at 100 W. California Boulevard. The hospital calls its emergency department the largest in the San Gabriel Valley and says it is home to the only Level II trauma center in the San Gabriel Valley. Rideshare passengers usually sit in the back seat, where a side impact can cause head injuries, neck and back damage, fractures, and seat belt injuries to the chest. Pedestrians and cyclists hit by a rideshare car face leg fractures, hip injuries, and concussions. Get checked even if you feel fine. Some injuries show up days later, and Uber and Lyft adjusters point to a gap in treatment to say the crash did not cause them. Follow your doctor's plan, keep every bill, and tell each provider the crash involved a rideshare. If you have a brain injury or lasting pain, keep a short daily log of symptoms and missed work. That log helps Moe show the full cost, including future care and lost income, not just the first ER bill. Medical records also back up your lost wages and show what the injury takes from your daily life. Adjusters like to shrink that part.

Talk to a Pasadena uber & lyft accident lawyer

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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