Who Is Liable in a Lyft Accident in Chicago?
Responsibility depends on the unsafe conduct that caused the injury
A Lyft driver does not get a different set of traffic rules because a passenger is waiting or a ride is running late. Failing to yield, running a red light, and unloading a passenger into a bike lane can put others in immediate danger. Improper screening of drivers who create dangerous conditions can also be the basis for fighting for accountability. When that conduct of the driver or the company causes an injury, the responsible parties should be held accountable.
Determining who is liable requires evidence about the driver, the trip, and everyone whose conduct contributed to the collision. Keating Law Offices investigates those facts for injured passengers, bicyclists, pedestrians, and motorists.
Lyft passengers have the protection of the common carrier standard
If you are injured in a crash involving an Uber or Lyft, the Illinois Vehicle Code and applicable local ordinances and regulations help determine responsibility. A rideshare driver must obey traffic signals, yield the right of way, and protect people walking and bicycling. Accepting a ride request does not excuse dangerous driving.
Beginning January 1, 2024, Illinois eliminated the statutory exemption that had excluded transportation network companies and their drivers from common carrier status. Uber and Lyft cannot rely on that former exemption to avoid the heightened duty owed to passengers. Like taxicabs, limousines, and buses, rideshare carriers are subject to the common carrier standard in transporting passengers.
Under Illinois law, a common carrier owes its passengers the highest degree of care consistent with its vehicle and the practical operation of its business. It does not guarantee passenger safety, but failing to meet that duty is negligence. See Sheffer v. Springfield Airport Authority, 261 Ill. App. 3d 151, 154 (4th Dist. 1994), and Illinois Pattern Jury Instruction 100.01. Section 25(e) of the Transportation Network Providers Act, 625 ILCS 57/25(e), made the former exemption inoperative on January 1, 2024.
This change strengthens the legal protections available to injured passengers seeking compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, and loss of a normal life. It does not make every crash an automatic recovery or establish the company's liability without proof. The heightened passenger duty is distinct from the duties owed to bicyclists, pedestrians, and other motorists, whose claims depend on the applicable traffic laws and negligence principles.
Can Lyft itself be responsible?
Yes, a claim against Lyft may be available when the facts and law support company liability. We examine the driver's relationship with Lyft, the work being performed, and any company conduct that contributed to the injury. A direct negligence claim may involve evidence about screening, retention, or the response to known safety concerns, where relevant.
The company is not automatically liable just because its app was involved. It is equally wrong to assume it cannot be liable because it calls drivers independent contractors. The legal relationship and the actual circumstances require investigation.
Who is liable when a passenger doors a bicyclist?
A bike lane is not a rideshare loading zone. When a driver blocks the lane to collect or discharge a passenger, bicyclists can be forced into moving traffic. When someone opens a door into a bicyclist's path, the rider may have no safe opportunity to avoid a collision.
Our IllinoisBicycleLaw.com article on Uber and Lyft doorings explains that Chicago's rideshare training instructed drivers to keep pickups and drop-offs out of bike lanes and to avoid opening doors into traffic. Those safety rules address a predictable danger. Current Chicago Municipal Code Section 9-40-060 restricts driving in and obstructing designated bicycle lanes. Section 9-80-035 and Illinois Vehicle Code Section 11-1407 prohibit opening a vehicle door into moving traffic unless it is reasonably safe and will not interfere with traffic.
Both the person opening the door and a driver who negligently selects an unsafe discharge location may bear responsibility, depending on the evidence. A passenger opening the door does not end the investigation into the driver's conduct. Drivers and passengers must look for approaching bicyclists before opening a door.
For further discussion, see our IllinoisBicycleLaw.com article on Uber and Lyft doorings and Chicago rideshare training.
What if another driver caused the collision?
A passenger may have a claim against another motorist who caused the crash, against the Lyft driver if the driver's negligence also contributed, or against other legally responsible parties. The analysis includes why the crash occurred and whether the Lyft driver fulfilled the duty owed to the passenger.
A police report can supply useful information, but it does not resolve every issue of civil liability. Witnesses, camera footage, app records, vehicle data, and expert analysis may provide evidence that was unavailable at the scene.
How app status affects insurance
The driver's app status helps identify the required insurance under 625 ILCS 57/10:
- App off: Investigate the driver's personal automobile coverage and any other applicable policies.
- Logged in and awaiting a request: Minimum liability limits are $50,000 per person, $100,000 per incident, and $25,000 for property damage.
- Ride accepted through trip completion: Required primary liability coverage is $1 million combined for death, injury, and property damage.
Lyft itself has additional insurance beyond these insurance limits that cover drivers.
Passenger uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage must also be examined when an at-fault driver has no insurance or insufficient coverage. The crash date, statutory requirements, and policy language matter. A liability limit is the available coverage limit under that policy, not a promise of a settlement in that amount.
App status affects insurance; it does not establish who caused the collision. We investigate both questions and preserve evidence of the driver's activity before and after impact.
What happens when several parties share fault?
Illinois law can allocate responsibility among multiple defendants. Joint and several liability rules may affect which defendant must pay particular damages, including medical expenses. The statutory thresholds, exceptions, and allocation require analysis of the defendants and claims involved.
An injured person's own negligence can also affect recovery. Generally, a person who is 50 percent or less at fault may recover reduced damages; someone more than 50 percent at fault is barred from recovery in a negligence action. Unsupported efforts to blame an injured passenger or bicyclist deserve a challenge.
How to report a Lyft crash and protect evidence
Call 911 when someone is injured or needs immediate help. Obtain medical care, report the collision to police, and collect photographs and witness information if you can do so safely. Save the ride receipt, driver information, messages, and app screenshots.
Report the collision through Lyft's accident reporting process and keep a copy of your submission. Reporting to Lyft does not replace police reporting or insurance requirements. An attorney can send preservation requests for app records and seek video before it disappears.
Holding the responsible parties accountable
The purpose of an investigation is to connect the unsafe conduct to the injury and resulting losses. Those losses may include medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and loss of a normal life. A traffic violation is important evidence, but causation and damages still must be established.
Keating Law Offices represents people injured in Chicago and throughout Illinois. We investigate what happened, identify the responsible parties and applicable insurance, and pursue compensation supported by the evidence. If an insurance company will not resolve the case fairly, our trial attorneys are prepared to take the case to court.
Contact Keating Law Offices for a free consultation with no obligation. There is no attorney fee unless we recover compensation for you. Case costs and other terms are explained in the representation agreement.
