Short answer. Connecticut ties rideshare insurance to the driver’s app status when the crash happened. With the app on and no rider, required limits are $50,000 per hurt individual, $100,000 per collision and $25,000 toward property. Once a ride is accepted and through drop-off, the floor jumps to $1 million. With the app off, only the driver’s personal policy applies.
The three stages
Connecticut regulates Uber, Lyft and similar companies as transportation network companies under chapter 244c of the General Statutes. The rules split a driver’s time into stages.
- App off. The driver is just a private motorist. Their own auto policy is the main coverage, and the rideshare company’s policy usually doesn’t apply.
- App on, waiting for a request. The minimum is $50,000 for one injured person, $100,000 for one crash, plus $25,000 in property coverage. Many personal policies exclude this period, so the company’s policy often fills it.
- Ride accepted through drop-off. Required coverage is at least $1,000,000 for death, injury and property damage. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is also required during this stage.
The driver’s app logs show which stage applied. Those logs are kept by the company, so requesting them early matters.
Riding as a passenger
A rider in the back seat is usually in the strongest spot. You weren’t driving, so it’s rare for any fault to land on you. When your own driver is to blame, the $1 million policy is usually the main coverage. If another driver caused it, that driver’s insurer is first in line, and the rideshare policy’s uninsured and underinsured coverage may help if the other driver had little or no insurance.
Hit by a rideshare car
Whether you were driving, walking or cycling, the first question is which stage the rideshare driver was in. Someone en route to a pickup on Farmington Avenue is covered differently than one driving home with the app off. Your own uninsured or underinsured coverage may also play a role. See our UM and UIM guide.
Hurt while driving for Uber or Lyft
Drivers hurt by another motorist can make a claim against that motorist. Coverage for your own injuries and car depends on your personal policy, the company’s policy and the stage you were in. Because these drivers are usually classed as contractors, that often rules out workers’ compensation unless a specific policy says otherwise.
The usual Connecticut rules still apply
Rideshare crashes follow the same legal framework as any other crash in Connecticut.
- The two-year deadline in CGS 52-584.
- The comparative fault rule in CGS 52-572h, which blocks recovery only when you carry more fault than the defendants’ combined share.
- No required PIP, so medical bills usually go to health insurance first. See medical bills after a crash.
Rideshare traffic around Hartford
Pickups and drop-offs bunch up near Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Union Station, the XL Center, Dunkin’ Park and the pubs along Pratt Street and Park Street. Sudden stops to pick up a rider and U-turns to reach a pin cause many of these crashes.
Steps after a rideshare crash
- Save screenshots showing the trip, the driver, the car and the route.
- Use the app’s crash report tool, and report to police too.
- Get the driver’s personal insurance details too, since that policy may matter.
- Photograph the scene and the vehicles, and get witness names.
- Get medical care and keep every bill.
App status, official reports and the deadlines that keep running during the company review
Ask the officer to add a note if the car may have been working a ride-hail trip, hang onto the fare receipt and a screenshot of that app screen, and request the official report. If Hartford Police responded, the report office is at 253 High Street, at (860) 757-4150, with the hours and 50-cent copy fee described on the official report page. Chapter 244c requires $1,000,000 in liability coverage during a prearranged ride, plus UM and UIM, and lower limits of $50,000 per person and $100,000 per crash for injury, plus $25,000 for property damage when the app is only on. Ride-hail companies can confirm status after the fact, but only if the trip data was preserved the same week. Send a written preservation letter for trip logs, location data and in-app messages promptly.
The ordinary injury period is two years from the date the injury is sustained or discovered, and no more than three years from the act, under CGS 52-584. A death claim is generally two years measured from death, and no more than five years from the act, under CGS 52-555. Do not pause those clocks while you wait on the app company. Comparative fault still applies under CGS 52-572h. If a town or State road defect may also be involved, written notice is generally due within 90 days. The Office of Victim Services generally allows three years to apply, with a police report. Call 1-888-286-7347. Keep the trip receipt, the official report and every medical bill in one file, and skip a recorded interview until a lawyer has reviewed the facts with you.
Schedule a follow-up exam and save the chart notes, even if the pain had not started yet, and read any household auto policy for UIM coverage that may apply if you were in your own car when a rideshare driver ran into you. Hartford Superior Court is at 95 Washington Street, at (860) 548-2700. Confirm current filing fees on the Judicial Branch pages before you file.
Questions to ask a lawyer
- Which stage was the driver in, and how do we prove it?
- Which policies apply, and in what order?
- Should I talk with the rideshare company’s insurer, and what should I avoid saying?
General information only, not legal advice.