Uber and Lyft Crashes on the Strip: Rideshare Coverage Explained
Nevada sets rideshare insurance minimums by what the driver was doing when the crash happened: app off, app on and waiting, or on an accepted trip. Once a driver accepts your ride request, Nevada requires at least $1,000,000 in coverage for that trip.
Rideshare is how a big part of Las Vegas gets around. Resort pickup zones, the airport, Fremont Street at 2 a.m. More rides means more rideshare crashes, and those claims run on a different set of insurance rules than a typical fender-bender.
Why does the timing of the ride matter so much?
Nevada's rideshare insurance law ties the required coverage to the driver's status in the app (NRS 690B.470). There are three phases based on what the driver was doing at the time of the crash.
| Driver status | Required minimum coverage |
|---|---|
| App off | No rideshare minimum; the driver's personal auto policy, if it covers the trip |
| Logged in and waiting for a request | $50,000 per person, $100,000 per crash bodily injury; $25,000 property damage |
| Accepted a request through the end of the trip | $1,000,000 for bodily injury, death and property damage per crash |
The coverage can come from the driver, the rideshare company, or both. In Nevada, "transportation services" begins when the driver accepts a passenger's request through the app (NRS 706A.060). So the higher limit can apply while the driver is on the way to pick you up, not only after you're in the car.
I was the passenger. Who pays?
If you were riding in the Uber or Lyft, you were on an active trip, so the $1,000,000 phase generally applies. If another driver caused the crash, that driver's insurance is also in play. Many of these claims involve two or more insurers pointing at each other.
Passengers rarely share fault. That makes passenger claims more about documenting injuries and sorting out which policy pays first.
I was in another car or on foot. Who pays?
If a rideshare driver hit you, the key question is what that driver was doing in the app at that moment. That information sits with the rideshare company. You usually won't know it at the scene.
Ask the driver directly whether they were on a trip. Note whether a passenger was in the car. Take a photo of the rideshare sticker on the windshield. Those details help pin down which phase applied.
What should I do right after a rideshare crash?
- Screenshot the trip in your app: driver name, car, plate, route, time
- Report the crash through the app, which creates a record with the company
- Call police; on the Strip that's usually Las Vegas Metro
- Photograph the scene, including the resort entrance or intersection, like Las Vegas Boulevard and Spring Mountain
- Get medical care, then keep every record
Don't delete the app or the trip receipt. That receipt is proof you were on an active trip.
What about tourists who get hurt in a rideshare?
Visitors get hurt in rideshare crashes and then fly home. You can still bring a claim for a crash that happened here. Nevada's general two-year filing deadline for injury claims applies (NRS 11.190(4)(e)). Having a local lawyer handle the Clark County side means you don't have to keep flying back.
Does my own insurance matter if I was just a passenger?
It can. If the at-fault driver was uninsured or underinsured, your own UM/UIM coverage might apply, depending on your policy terms. Nevada insurers must offer that coverage equal to your bodily injury limits (NRS 687B.145).
New clients can also get a free simple will through our sister firm, Signature Law (signature.law).
This article is general information, not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Frank Stucki, Esq., MBA
Born and raised in Las Vegas. Trial lawyer for the seriously injured. Frank is licensed in California, Nevada, Washington and Utah; cases in other states are handled with local co-counsel licensed there.
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