Uber or Lyft accident in Phoenix: whose insurance pays and how to find an attorney

Last checked November 8, 2026

In an Uber or Lyft crash in Phoenix, the coverage depends on the app. Once a driver accepts a ride, Arizona requires at least $250,000, and at least $1 million with a rider in the car.1 Phoenix Police handle city streets,2 and you generally have 2 years to sue.3

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Road map of Phoenix showing Sky Harbor Airport and I-10, where nearly six crashes a day were counted near the Deck Park Tunnel
Rider in the car? Arizona requires at least $1 million in coverage. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Which insurance pays after an Uber or Lyft accident in Phoenix?

Screenshot the app first. What the driver's app showed at the moment of the crash decides which line of this table applies.

What the driver was doingMinimum coverage in Arizona
Logged in and waiting for a ride$25,000 per person, $50,000 per crash, $20,000 for property4
Ride accepted, heading to the pickupAt least $250,0001
Rider in the carAt least $1 million1
During a trip, hit by an uninsured driverAt least $25,000 per person and $75,000 per incident, or more if state minimums are higher5

These are the lowest amounts the law allows. If the driver's app was off, the rules for regular car insurance apply instead.

What if the crash happened at Phoenix Sky Harbor?

Airport trips have their own map. Sky Harbor lists Uber, Lyft, Wridz, Waymo and HUM as rideshare services.6 Terminal 3 pickups use the south outer curb, minus its far east end, plus the far east end of the north curb.7 Terminal 4 pickups are on Level 1, including the north curb outside door 1.8 Write down the terminal, the curb and the nearest door number. That detail helps later if nobody agrees on where it happened.

  • For an emergency at the airport, contact Airport Emergency Services at 602-273-3311.9
  • Phoenix Police has an Airport Bureau whose officers work at Sky Harbor.10 Ask the officer for the report number before you leave.
  • Sky Harbor is run by the City of Phoenix Aviation Department.11 If an airport vehicle or a problem with the curb caused your injury, the 180-day city claim deadline may apply.12

What if you were in a driverless Waymo in Phoenix?

Phoenix riders see this more than most. Waymo offers pickup and drop-off at each Sky Harbor terminal's rideshare location, around the clock.13 Arizona's rideshare insurance rules are written around a person driving for an app, so do not assume the table above fits a car with no driver. Save the trip record from the app, photograph the car and its number, and get a police report. Ask a lawyer who is responsible and which coverage applies.

What should you do right after a rideshare crash in Phoenix?

  1. Call 911 if anyone is hurt, and do not leave before police say you can.
  2. Ask the driver for proof of insurance. Arizona requires a rideshare driver to show it to the people involved, right at the scene.14
  3. Screenshot your trip details, the driver's name and the car before the app changes them. Report the crash in the app as well.
  4. Get the report later. City street crashes are requested through the Phoenix Police portal under Traffic Crash.15 For a freeway crash, DPS has it, and you should wait at least 14 days to check.1617
  5. Take photos of your injuries and keep every bill. Hospital records at Valleywise start with (602) 344-5266.18

Who has the report if your Uber crashed on a Phoenix freeway?

If your driver was on I-10 between the Deck Park Tunnel and the I-17 split, expect a DPS report. ADOT counted nearly six crashes a day on that stretch from 2020 through 2024.19 The report matters more in a rideshare case than in most. It shows the time of the crash, which you can match to the trip record from the app.

What if you were the Uber or Lyft driver in Phoenix?

Check your own policy before you assume it helps. A driver's personal auto policy does not have to cover a crash during app work unless the policy clearly says so.20 Your car may also have been towed. If a city contract tow took it, the tow company can tell you which lot it is in and what you owe.21 If another driver hit you, you can make a claim against that driver too.

Can you sue Uber or Lyft after a Phoenix accident?

Claims usually start with the driver who caused the crash and the insurance the law requires. Whether the company itself can be sued is a separate legal question that turns on your facts. That is the main thing to ask an Uber accident attorney in Phoenix.

Arizona lets you recover even if you were partly at fault, with your award reduced by your share.22 A passenger is rarely at fault, but insurers may still argue over which driver caused the crash. A child's deadline usually waits until age 18.23

Questions

What happens if my Uber gets into an accident in Phoenix?

If you were in the car, Arizona requires at least $1 million in liability coverage.1 Get medical care, save the trip record and ask for the police report.

How long do I have to file after an Uber accident in Phoenix?

Generally 2 years to sue.3 A claim against a public agency is due within 180 days.24

Who responds to a crash at Sky Harbor?

Phoenix Police has an Airport Bureau at the airport.10 For emergencies, contact Airport Emergency Services at 602-273-3311.9

Does a Lyft driver's personal insurance cover me in Phoenix?

Not necessarily. It only has to cover app work if the policy clearly says it does.20 The coverage required for app work is separate.

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Sources

  1. A.R.S. § 28-4038(B)(1), checked 2026-11-08. “Primary commercial motor vehicle liability insurance that covers the transportation network company driver's provision of transportation network services in a minimum amount of $250,000 per incident, except that the minimum amount shall be $1,000,000 per incident when a passenger to whom the transportation network company driver is providing transportation network services is occupying the transportation network company vehicle.”
  2. Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “If the report you are requesting was the result of a collision that occurred on a town, city or county road, contact the law enforcement agency in that jurisdiction.”
  3. A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
  4. A.R.S. § 28-4038(A), checked 2026-11-08. “is logged in to the transportation network company's digital network or software application to be a driver, but is not in the act of providing transportation network services, the transportation network company driver or the transportation network company, or both, shall provide primary motor vehicle liability insurance coverage in the amount of $25,000 because of bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident, subject to the limit for one person, $50,000 because of bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in any one accident and $20,000 because of injury to or destruction of property of others in any one accident.”
  5. A.R.S. § 28-4038(B)(2), checked 2026-11-08. “Primary commercial uninsured motorist coverage in a minimum amount of either of the following, whichever is greater: (a) $25,000 per person and $75,000 per incident. (b) The minimum liability limits for bodily injury or death prescribed in section 28-4009.”
  6. Phoenix Sky Harbor, Ride Share, checked 2026-11-08. “1. Uber 2. Lyft 3. Wridz 4. Waymo 5. HUM”
  7. Phoenix Sky Harbor, Ride Share, checked 2026-11-08. “Terminal 3 Entire south outer curb minus the far east end. North outer curb, far east end.”
  8. Phoenix Sky Harbor, Ride Share, checked 2026-11-08. “Terminal 4 Level 1, north outer curb, far west end outside door #1.”
  9. Phoenix Sky Harbor, Safety, checked 2026-11-08. “If you are experiencing an emergency, please contact Airport Emergency Services at 602-273-3311”
  10. Phoenix Sky Harbor, PHX Check-In, checked 2026-11-08. “Phoenix Police Department's Airport Bureau”
  11. Phoenix Sky Harbor, Ride Share, checked 2026-11-08. “City of Phoenix Aviation Department 2485 E. Buckeye Road Phoenix, AZ 85034”
  12. phoenix.gov, checked 2026-11-08. “Be filed with the City Clerk Department within 180 days after the cause of action accrues,”
  13. Phoenix Sky Harbor, Ride Share, checked 2026-11-08. “Waymo curbside pick-up and drop-off service to Terminal 3 and Terminal 4 curbs is offered at each terminal's rideshare location 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
  14. A.R.S. § 28-4038(F), checked 2026-11-08. “If an accident occurs involving a transportation network company vehicle, the transportation network company driver shall provide proof of insurance to the parties involved in the accident at the time of the accident.”
  15. phoenix.gov, checked 2026-11-08. “The following 10 options are available on the portal to submit Public Record requests:”
  16. Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “maintains records for collisions (accidents) that were investigated by DPS Troopers occurring on an Interstate or State Highway”
  17. Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “Please wait at least 14 days to check on report availability”
  18. valleywisehealth.org, checked 2026-11-08. “Contact our Release of Information office at (602) 344-5266.”
  19. azdot.gov, checked 2026-11-08. “from 2020 through 2024, there were nearly six crashes a day in the study area, with most being rear-end and sideswipe crashes.”
  20. A.R.S. § 28-4038(C), checked 2026-11-08. “Unless an insurance policy expressly provides coverage or contains an amendment or endorsement that expressly provides coverage, the transportation network company driver's insurance policy and the motor vehicle owner's personal motor vehicle insurance policy shall not be required to provide coverage”
  21. phoenix.gov, checked 2026-11-08. “Contact the tow company to determine which lot they have stored your vehicle.”
  22. A.R.S. § 12-2505, checked 2026-11-08. “the claimant's action is not barred, but the full damages shall be reduced in proportion to the relative degree of the claimant's fault”
  23. A.R.S. § 12-502, checked 2026-11-08. “the period of such disability shall not be deemed a portion of the period limited for commencement of the action”
  24. Arizona Revised Statutes 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”

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