Hurt in an Uber, Lyft or Waymo in Tempe: which insurance applies and how to find a rideshare accident lawyer

Last checked November 8, 2026

In Arizona, a rideshare driver must carry at least $1 million in liability coverage while you are in the car.1 Crash reports for Tempe streets are on BuyCrash.2 Crashes on freeways go to Arizona DPS.3 You generally have 2 years to sue,4 and the driver must show proof of insurance at the scene.5

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Road map of Tempe showing Mill Avenue, where federal investigators looked at a 2018 crash involving an Uber automated test vehicle
Arizona rideshare coverage: at least $1 million with a rider aboard. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Which insurance covers an Uber or Lyft crash in Tempe?

It depends on what the driver's app was doing at the moment of the crash. Arizona law sets three different levels, and this is the first thing to pin down.

App statusCoverage the law requiresCommon situation
Logged in, waiting for a rideAt least $25,000 per person, $50,000 per crash and $20,000 for property6A driver circling near Mill Avenue between rides hits your car
Ride accepted or rider in the carAt least $250,000 after accepting, and at least $1 million with you aboard1You are the passenger, or the driver hits you on the way to a pickup
During a trip, other driver uninsuredAt least $25,000 per person and $75,000 per incident, or the state minimum if that is higher7An uninsured driver runs a red light and hits your ride

One gap is worth a warning. A driver's personal auto policy does not have to cover a crash during app work unless it clearly says so.8 If the driver hands you only a personal insurance card, ask for the company's policy too.

What should I do after a rideshare crash in Tempe?

  1. Screenshot the ride in your app before anything changes: driver name, car, plate, route and time.
  2. Have the driver show you proof of insurance. The law says it must be given to the people involved right there.5
  3. Call police. For anything short of an emergency in Tempe, the number is 480-350-8311.9
  4. Report the crash inside the app, but keep it short. Do not guess about your injuries.
  5. Get the other driver's details too, because more than one insurer may be involved.

Who has the report for an Uber accident in Tempe?

Same as any other crash here. Tempe Police keep reports for streets inside the city, sold on BuyCrash with your GO number.210 If it happened on a freeway, DPS has it, and you should wait two weeks before calling.311 Passengers often leave without a GO number. If so, call Records at 480-350-8598 or 480-350-8588 with the date and cross streets.1213

What if the crash happened at Sky Harbor on the way to Tempe?

Many Tempe rides begin or end at Phoenix Sky Harbor. The airport lists Uber, Lyft, Wridz, Waymo and HUM as its rideshare services.14 Note exactly where you were picked up. At Terminal 3 the rideshare curb is the south outer curb except its far east end, plus the far east end of the north outer curb.15 At Terminal 4 it is on Level 1 at set doors on the outer curbs.16

Different agencies are in charge there. Airport Emergency Services answers at 602-273-3311,17 and Phoenix Police has an Airport Bureau.18 The airport is a City of Phoenix campus,19 so a claim that the city was at fault goes to the Phoenix City Clerk at 200 W. Washington Street, 15th Floor, not to Tempe.20 The 180-day notice rule applies to public bodies like Phoenix.21

What about a driverless car in Tempe, like Waymo?

Tempe has real experience with this. In 2018 an Uber automated test vehicle struck a woman crossing N. Mill Avenue, and the National Transportation Safety Board investigated.22 In 2025, Tempe Police described a motorcyclist colliding with a self-driving car turning near Rural Road and Lemon Street.23

There is no driver to exchange information with. Note the car's number, and ask the responding officer which company runs it. These cars usually carry cameras and sensors, so have someone ask the company in writing, right away, to keep the data. We have not found a Tempe rule that treats driverless crashes differently. This is an area where you want advice from someone who has handled one.

Am I covered if I was hit by a rideshare car while walking in Tempe?

Often, yes. The same stages apply no matter who was hurt. Tempe's crash plan makes clear why people on foot need to know this: 88 of 465 pedestrian crashes killed or badly hurt someone.24 Saturday evening is the worst time of the week for serious crashes.25 If a driver was using the app when you were hit, tell police and the insurer that right away.

How long do I have after an Uber or Lyft accident in Tempe?

ClaimTime limit
Rideshare driver or companyGenerally 2 years to sue4
City of Tempe, if a city vehicle or road defect played a part180 days to the City Clerk,26 and 1 year to sue27
Valley Metro bus or rail involved180 days.21 Send it to [email protected] or by mail.28
You are under 18The two years usually start at adulthood29

What should I ask a rideshare accident lawyer in Tempe?

  • Have you made claims against Uber's or Lyft's insurers before?
  • How will you prove what the driver's app was doing at the time of the crash?
  • If I am a driver, how does this affect my own auto policy?8
  • How will my share of blame, if any, change what I can get?30

Questions

Can I sue Uber for a crash in Tempe?

You can bring a claim, often against the driver with the company's insurer paying. Which policy pays depends on the app status at the time.1

What if my Lyft driver had no insurance card at the scene?

The driver must show proof of insurance.5 Keep your app screenshots and report that to police.

Does the coverage apply if I was only waiting to be picked up?

Once the driver accepts a ride, at least $250,000 in coverage applies, even before you get in. The $1 million level starts when you are in the car.1

Where do I report a problem at Sky Harbor?

In an emergency, call Airport Emergency Services at 602-273-3311.17

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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. Tempe Police, Public Records Request, checked 2026-11-08. “Accident reports approved for public release are available online from November 1, 2021 to the present.”
  3. 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”
  4. A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
  5. 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.”
  6. 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.”
  7. 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.”
  8. 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”
  9. City of Tempe, Tempe 311, checked 2026-11-08. “For a police non-emergency, please call 480-350-8311.”
  10. Tempe Police, Public Records Request, checked 2026-11-08. “You will need the Tempe Police Department report number (GO#), date of accident, and a valid credit card”
  11. Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “Please wait at least 14 days to check on report availability”
  12. Tempe Police, Public Records Request, checked 2026-11-08. “480-350-8588 (7 days a week, 5 a.m.–midnight)”
  13. Tempe Police, Department Directory, checked 2026-11-08. “Records Section: 480-350-8598”
  14. Phoenix Sky Harbor, Ride Share, checked 2026-11-08. “1. Uber 2. Lyft 3. Wridz 4. Waymo 5. HUM”
  15. 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.”
  16. Phoenix Sky Harbor, Ride Share, checked 2026-11-08. “Terminal 4 Level 1, north outer curb, far west end outside door #1.”
  17. Phoenix Sky Harbor, Safety, checked 2026-11-08. “please contact Airport Emergency Services at 602-273-3311”
  18. Phoenix Sky Harbor, PHX Check-in, checked 2026-11-08. “Phoenix Police Department's Airport Bureau”
  19. Phoenix Sky Harbor, Safety, checked 2026-11-08. “across all City of Phoenix Airport campuses”
  20. City of Phoenix claim form, checked 2026-11-08. “200 W. Washington Street”
  21. Arizona Revised Statutes 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
  22. NTSB, HWY18MH010, checked 2026-11-08. “struck a female pedestrian walking across the northbound lanes of N. Mill Avenue in Tempe, Arizona”
  23. Tempe Police news release, Dec. 3, 2025, checked 2026-11-08. “an 18-year-old motorcyclist collided with a self-driving car that was turning”
  24. City of Tempe, Safety Action Plan (final, October 2026), checked 2026-11-08. “Pedestrian-involved 465 2.6% 88 21.9%”
  25. Tempe Safety Action Plan, checked 2026-11-08. “The time of the week with the most FSI crashes was Saturday evening.”
  26. City of Tempe, Risk Management, checked 2026-11-08. “claims must be filed with the City Clerk's Office within 180 days after the cause of action accrues”
  27. A.R.S. § 12-821, checked 2026-11-08. “shall be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues and not afterward”
  28. Valley Metro, Notice of Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “Valley Metro Attention: Risk Management 101 N. 1st Avenue, Suite 1300 Phoenix, AZ 85003”
  29. 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”
  30. 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”

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