As a passenger, you're in the strongest position a crash victim can occupy: you carry essentially no fault, and from the moment your driver accepted the trip until it ends, Georgia law requires $1,000,000 in coverage per occurrence (O.C.G.A. § 33-1-24), plus uninsured motorist coverage of up to $300,000 per accident. If another driver caused the crash, their policy pays too. Deadline: two years (§ 9-3-33).
The passenger's advantage: you carry no fault
When an Uber or Lyft crashes on Pleasant Hill Road or Buford Highway in Duluth, the drivers will argue about who ran the light. You won't — a back-seat passenger almost never contributes to a collision, which means Georgia's comparative fault rule (O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33) rarely touches your recovery. The entire fight is about which policy pays, not whether you deserve to be paid.
That makes passenger cases simpler in one way and trickier in another: there can be three or more insurance companies in the room — the rideshare policy, your driver's personal insurer, the other driver's insurer — each pointing at the next. Knowing the order of operations keeps you from being passed around.
The $1 million layer Georgia law puts behind your trip
Georgia's rideshare insurance statute, O.C.G.A. § 33-1-24, requires that from the moment the driver accepts your ride request until the ride is complete, there is at least $1,000,000 of coverage per occurrence for death, injury, and property damage. The same provision requires uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage with limits of $300,000 per accident and $100,000 per person — protection that matters enormously when the at-fault driver is a stranger carrying state minimums.
If you want the full breakdown of how coverage changes across the driver's app periods — waiting, en route, on trip — our article on who pays in an Uber accident in Alpharetta walks through it. As a passenger, the short version is: you ride inside the biggest window.
When another driver caused the crash
If a third driver hit your rideshare, their liability coverage is the first source of recovery — Georgia requires they carry at least $25,000 per person (O.C.G.A. § 33-7-11). Serious injuries exhaust that quickly, which is where the rideshare UM/UIM layer and, in some cases, your own household auto policy step in behind it.
This stacking order is exactly where passengers get lowballed: the third driver's insurer offers their small limits, calls it done, and hopes you never learn about the layers behind it. Before signing any release, map every policy — a release signed for $25,000 can extinguish rights worth far more.
The evidence that's already in your phone
Your trip receipt timestamps the ride, names the driver, and maps the route — screenshot it immediately, along with the driver's profile and the in-app crash report if you file one. That app data proves you were a fare-paying passenger inside the $1 million window, which is the single most valuable fact in your case.
Then treat it like any serious car accident claim: medical care first, police report, photos, and no recorded statements to anyone's insurer until you've had advice. Dream Team Law handles rideshare injury claims across Gwinnett County from our Atlanta office — free consultation, no fee unless we win.
Frequently asked questions
Do I sue Uber or Lyft directly if I'm hurt as a passenger?+
Usually you don't need to. Your claim runs against the insurance coverage the law requires on the trip — the $1 million per-occurrence policy — plus any at-fault third driver's insurer. The companies classify drivers as independent contractors, so the insurance layers, not the tech company itself, are where recovery actually comes from.
What if my own rideshare driver caused the crash in Duluth?+
Your claim still sits inside the trip-period coverage: Georgia requires $1 million per occurrence from ride acceptance to completion. Fault just determines which side of the crash the claim points at — as the passenger, you're covered either way.
What if the driver who hit my Uber was uninsured?+
The rideshare policy's uninsured motorist coverage steps in — Georgia requires UM/UIM limits of $300,000 per accident on trip-period coverage (O.C.G.A. § 33-1-24). Your own household auto policy's UM coverage may add another layer behind it.
This article is for general information only and is not legal advice; reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Deadlines depend on the specific facts of your case — consult a licensed Florida attorney about your situation. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.