Louisiana Rideshare Accident Lawyer
A rideshare crash in Louisiana almost never involves just one insurance policy, and which policy applies can change depending on whether the driver’s app was off, open and waiting for a request, or carrying a passenger at the moment of impact. That question shapes who pays, how much coverage is available, and how aggressively each carrier will contest your claim. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a Mississippi and Louisiana injury firm that represents people hurt in vehicle crashes, including rideshare collisions, and serves clients from New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and communities throughout South Louisiana and north Louisiana. If you need a Louisiana rideshare accident lawyer, the practical work starts with identifying every policy that might respond before anyone asks you for a recorded statement.
Rideshare cases also tend to overlap with work. Many drivers use the platforms as a second income, and plenty of employees are hurt as passengers or in other vehicles while running a work errand or traveling between job sites. When a crash happens in the course of employment, a workers’ compensation claim and a third-party injury claim can exist side by side, and they need to be managed together. Our firm has built its practice around injured workers, and that background matters when a rideshare crash is also a work injury.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Louisiana Rideshare Collision Case
Our attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience, and the firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. Rob Lunsford, our founding partner, has spent his entire legal career representing injured workers. Brad Baskin and Jennifer Priebe, both partners, have been recognized by Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and The National Trial Lawyers, and the firm was ranked by Best Law Firms in 2026 for Workers’ Compensation Law, Claimants, in Jackson. Andrew Rueff has tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict and has argued personal injury and insurance cases before state appellate courts.
That trial and insurance-dispute experience is what a rideshare case demands. You are dealing with carriers that have every reason to point at each other, and with a company that characterizes its drivers as independent contractors. The firm has handled vehicle-crash recoveries that show what serious injuries can be worth, including a $385,000 settlement for a project manager with back injuries after he was struck in his work vehicle, a $190,000 settlement for a truck driver who hurt his lower back in a wreck on the job, and a $685,000 settlement for a surgical tech with a lower back injury. Clients consistently describe a team that listens, communicates, and stays in the fight with the insurance company. We work on a no recovery, no fee basis, consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, phones are answered 24 hours a day, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with us in their own language.
Who Gets Hurt in Louisiana Rideshare Crashes
- Passengers in the Rideshare Vehicle: Riders are usually the least at fault and often have the clearest claim, but they may be pursuing the rideshare driver’s coverage, the company’s contingent coverage, and the other driver’s liability policy all at once. Late-night trips from the French Quarter, Bourbon Street, and the Warehouse District in New Orleans, and bar-district rides in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, are common settings for impaired-driver collisions.
- Rideshare Drivers Hurt on the Job: A driver injured while logged into the app may face a dispute over whether they were an employee or an independent contractor, which affects whether workers’ compensation applies. Either way, a third-party claim against an at-fault motorist may be available.
- Occupants of Other Vehicles: Drivers and passengers struck by a rideshare car often deal with a carrier whose coverage depends on the app’s status at the time of the crash. Congested stretches of I-10 through New Orleans and Baton Rouge, the I-10 and I-12 corridor, and the Lafayette Thruway see steady rideshare traffic.
- Pedestrians and Cyclists: Drop-off and pickup behavior near venues, hospitals, and the airport creates risks for people on foot, and a driver distracted by the app’s navigation screen is a recurring cause.
- Workers Traveling for Their Employer: An employee riding in a rideshare vehicle for a business errand who is hurt may have both a comp claim and a claim against the at-fault driver, and the two must be coordinated so that one does not undercut the other.
- Families After a Fatal Crash: When a rideshare collision kills someone, survivors may have wrongful death and survival claims with their own filing deadlines, covered below.
- Injuries With Lasting Effects: Neck, back, and spine injuries, shoulder and knee tears, and fractures are common in these crashes, and insurers often try to attribute them to pre-existing degeneration rather than the collision.
What to Do After a Rideshare Crash in Louisiana
Get medical care first, and tell the provider exactly how you were hurt, since early records become the backbone of the claim. Report the crash to the responding law enforcement agency, whether that is New Orleans police, a parish sheriff’s office, or the Louisiana State Police on an interstate, and ask for the report number. Then document what the app shows: take screenshots of the trip, the driver’s name and photo, the vehicle and license plate, and the receipt or ride history. If you were a passenger, that record helps establish which coverage tier applied. If you were the driver, preserve the app’s activity log showing when you were logged in and whether a trip had been accepted.
Be careful with insurers. You will likely hear from the rideshare company’s carrier and from the other driver’s insurer, often within days and often asking for a recorded statement. Giving one before you understand the coverage picture is a common and costly mistake. Early statements get compared against medical records later, and small inconsistencies about pain or prior injuries are used to cut claims down. Also avoid posting about the crash or your recovery on social media.
Deadlines deserve attention too. For injuries on or after July 1, 2024, Louisiana gives two years from the day the injury was sustained to file a delictual action, while earlier injuries stay under the former one-year period. Wrongful death claims run one year from the death or two years from the day the injury was sustained, whichever is longer. If your crash happened at work, you should report the injury to your employer within 30 days, and a formal comp claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident. Disputes that do end up in litigation are decided in the Louisiana district courts, and workers’ compensation matters go before the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration, with appeals to the appropriate circuit court of appeal. For a crash with federal jurisdiction issues, the federal courts in the Eastern, Middle, or Western District of Louisiana may be involved, depending on where the case belongs.
How Fault and Coverage Decide What a Rideshare Claim Is Worth
Two separate questions drive the value of these cases: who was at fault, and which policy pays. On fault, Louisiana has tightened its comparative fault rules. For causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, a claimant found 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing, and a finding below that threshold reduces the award by the claimant’s share. Earlier claims remain under pure comparative fault. That change makes the early evidence far more important, because insurers now have a strong incentive to push blame onto the injured person. Dash cameras, traffic cameras, witness accounts, and the vehicle’s own data can all matter.
On coverage, the platform’s status at the time of the crash typically determines the level of insurance available, and the amounts differ sharply between a driver who was simply logged off, one waiting for a request, and one with a passenger on board. Because the specific limits are set by company policy and state insurance requirements that can change, the safest approach is to have an attorney confirm the actual policy in force for your crash rather than relying on what an adjuster tells you. Your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage can also come into play when the at-fault driver’s limits fall short of your damages.
When a rideshare crash is also a work injury, the interaction between claims needs care. Comp benefits cover reasonable and necessary medical treatment and wage replacement, and a separate injury claim against a negligent driver can recover damages comp does not. The two claims have different deadlines, different decision-makers, and sometimes competing reimbursement interests, which is why our firm handles them as a coordinated whole.
Questions About Louisiana Rideshare Accident Claims
Who is responsible when a rideshare driver causes a crash in Louisiana?
Primary responsibility usually falls on the driver who was at fault, whether that is the rideshare driver or another motorist. Depending on the app’s status at the time, the rideshare company’s insurance may also provide coverage. Sorting out which policies apply is often the first real task in the case.
How long do I have to file a rideshare accident lawsuit in Louisiana?
For injuries on or after July 1, 2024, you generally have two years from the day the injury was sustained. Earlier injuries remain under the former one-year period. Wrongful death claims allow one year from the death or two years from the injury, whichever is longer.
Can I recover if I was a passenger in the rideshare car?
Yes. Passengers can pursue claims against the at-fault driver and, depending on coverage, the rideshare company’s policy. Passengers are rarely blamed for the crash, though insurers sometimes still look for ways to reduce payouts.
What if I was partly at fault for the collision?
For causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, a person found 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing, and a lower share reduces the award proportionally. Earlier claims follow pure comparative fault. Because the line matters so much, fault evidence should be preserved early.
Do I need to give the rideshare company’s insurer a recorded statement?
You are generally not required to give one to the other side’s insurer, and doing so before you understand your injuries and the coverage picture can hurt you. Speak with an attorney first.
I drive for a rideshare company and was hurt. Can I get workers’ compensation?
It depends on whether you are treated as an employee or an independent contractor, which is frequently disputed. Even if comp is not available, you may have a claim against an at-fault driver. An attorney can evaluate both paths.
What if I was hurt in a rideshare crash while traveling for my job?
You may have both a workers’ compensation claim and a claim against the at-fault party. You should report the injury to your employer within 30 days, and a formal comp claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while the claim is pending?
Often yes, and many people use health coverage to avoid gaps in care. Your health insurer may later seek reimbursement from a settlement, so that lien should be addressed before you finalize any recovery.
Why do insurers blame my injury on a pre-existing condition?
Back, neck, and joint injuries often involve some prior wear, and carriers use that to argue the crash did not cause your symptoms. A pre-existing condition does not end a claim if the crash worsened it, and clear medical records showing the change are the best answer.
How much does it cost to hire your firm for a rideshare case?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of the case, and we are paid only if we recover for you.
Can a Louisiana rideshare crash claim settle without going to court?
Many do, but a claim that is prepared as though it will be tried tends to settle better. Our attorneys include trial lawyers who have taken cases to verdict, which affects how insurers evaluate their risk.
Serving Rideshare Crash Victims Across Louisiana
Our firm represents injured people throughout the state, from New Orleans and the surrounding Jefferson, St. Bernard, and St. Tammany communities to Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Lake Charles, and north to Shreveport. We handle rideshare and other vehicle-crash claims across South Louisiana, including Houma, Slidell, Covington, Metairie, Kenner, Gretna, and the River Parishes, and we work with clients in central and north Louisiana as well. Because rideshare traffic concentrates around airports, entertainment districts, hospitals, and interstate corridors, these cases arise in cities large and small. The same attorneys who handle workers’ compensation claims before the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration also pursue third-party injury claims, so a client hurt in a work-related rideshare crash can have one team coordinating both.
Talk With a Louisiana Rideshare Accident Attorney Today
If you were hurt in a rideshare collision, the choices you make in the first few weeks, from what you tell an adjuster to which records you preserve, can shape the outcome of the entire case. A Louisiana rideshare accident attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review the crash, identify the policies that apply, and handle the insurers so you can focus on your recovery. Call us any time; our phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless we recover for you.
