How Rideshare Accident Settlements Are Different from Regular Car Accident Settlements in New Jersey
Posted November 24th, 2025 by Anthony Carbone, PC.
Categories: Attorney Anthony Carbone, Auto Accidents, Lyft Accident, Personal Injury.
If you’ve been injured in an Uber or Lyft accident in New Jersey, you might wonder how your case will be different from a regular car accident. The truth is that rideshare accident settlements often work very differently, and understanding these differences can help you get more compensation. At The Law Offices of Anthony Carbone P.C., we help clients navigate rideshare accident claims and fight for the maximum settlement possible.
Much Higher Insurance Coverage Is Available
One of the biggest differences between rideshare and regular car accidents is the amount of insurance money available. In a typical car accident, the at-fault driver’s insurance might only provide $25,000 to $100,000 in coverage. Many drivers only carry the state minimum.
Rideshare accidents are different. When an Uber or Lyft driver has accepted a ride or has a passenger in the car, New Jersey law requires the rideshare company to provide up to $1.5 million in liability coverage.
This much higher coverage means that if you’re seriously injured in a rideshare accident, there’s actually enough insurance money available to cover your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and future care needs. In a regular car accident with minimum insurance, you might not be able to recover the full amount you deserve.
More Parties and Insurance Companies Are Involved
Standard car accidents usually involve just two drivers and their insurance companies. Rideshare accidents can involve many more parties: the rideshare driver, the rideshare company, the driver’s personal insurance, another driver who may have caused the accident, your own insurance, and potentially even property owners if road conditions played a role.
Having more parties involved can actually work in your favor because there are more potential sources of compensation. However, it also makes the settlement process more complicated. Each insurance company will try to shift blame to the others.
The Driver’s App Status Is Critical
In a regular car accident, you don’t need to worry about what the driver was doing with their phone. In a rideshare accident, whether the driver was logged into the app makes a huge difference in your settlement.
App off: If the driver wasn’t logged in, you’re dealing with a regular car accident with potentially low insurance coverage.
App on, waiting: If the driver was logged in but waiting for a ride, limited rideshare coverage applies.
Passenger on board or en route: If the driver had accepted your ride or was carrying you as a passenger, the full $1.5 million in coverage applies.
This is why preserving evidence about the driver’s app status is so important. Screenshots, receipts, and trip data can make or break your case.
No Verbal Threshold Defense
Here’s another important difference many people don’t know about. In regular New Jersey car accidents, if you selected the verbal threshold option on your insurance policy, you can only sue for pain and suffering if you suffered a serious injury.
But in rideshare accidents, this limitation doesn’t apply. Rideshare drivers cannot use the verbal threshold defense. This means you have broader rights to recover compensation for pain and suffering, even for injuries that might not meet the serious injury standard in a regular car accident.
What Affects Your Settlement Amount
Several factors influence how much you can recover:
The severity of your injuries. More serious injuries with higher medical bills result in higher settlements.
Clear evidence of fault. Strong evidence showing the rideshare driver or another party was at fault strengthens your case.
Proper documentation. Detailed medical records, photos, witness statements, and preserved app data all support a higher settlement.
Lost income. If your injuries prevent you from working, you can recover compensation for lost wages.
Future medical needs. If you need ongoing treatment or have permanent injuries, your settlement should account for future expenses.
Multiple insurance policies. Access to higher insurance limits means more money available for your settlement.
Why You Need an Experienced Attorney
Rideshare accident settlements are more complex than regular car accident cases. Insurance companies know this and will use every trick they can to reduce what they pay. They might dispute the driver’s app status, argue about who was at fault, or claim your injuries aren’t as serious as you say.
At The Law Offices of Anthony Carbone, we have over 35 years of experience handling personal injury cases in New Jersey, including complex rideshare accidents. We know how to investigate the accident and preserve critical evidence, determine the driver’s app status and which insurance policies apply, calculate the full value of your case including future expenses, deal with multiple insurance companies at once, fight back when insurers try to undervalue your claim, and take your case to court if necessary.
Get the Settlement You Deserve
Rideshare accidents offer both opportunities and challenges. The higher insurance coverage means more money is available for your settlement, but the complexity of these cases means you need experienced legal help to get it.
Don’t settle for less than you deserve. Contact The Law Offices of Anthony Carbone P.C. today for a free consultation. We’ll review your case, explain how much your claim may be worth, and fight to get you maximum compensation. Call us now to protect your rights.
