San Jose Uber Accident Lawyer
Uber Accident Attorney San Jose
You tapped a button for a ride from the airport, or you were crossing Santa Clara Street after a game, and now you are hurt. If you need an Uber accident attorney in San Jose, whether you were a rider, a driver, a pedestrian, or a cyclist, Ravan Law is on your side.
The insurance that pays depends on what the driver’s app showed at the second of impact, and the coverage rules changed on January 1, 2026. In San Jose, where it happened (an airport curb, an arena street, a light rail corridor) can add a public agency and a six-month deadline.
Ravan Law is a Los Angeles firm. We take San Jose cases from our Los Angeles office and meet with clients by phone or video. Call (424) 465-2500 for a free consultation. No fee unless we win.
Uber Accident Lawyer in San Jose: Where Rideshare Crashes Happen
San José Mineta International Airport
The airport sets where app-based rides may stop. Drop-offs happen at the departures curbs of both terminals. Pickups are assigned to numbered stops: at Terminal A, the arrivals curbside and Stop 1 on the Ground Transportation Island for Uber and Lyft; at Terminal B, Stops 8 and 9 on the Ground Transportation Island for Uber and Stop 10 for Lyft.
A driver waiting at an assigned stop with a ride accepted is in a different insurance period than a driver circling with the app on and no request. And the airport is owned and operated by the City of San Jose, so a collision with an airport vehicle, or an injury caused by the condition of an airport roadway, can require a claim against the City within six months.
SAP Center and Diridon Station
SAP Center sits next to San Jose Diridon Station. The arena publishes its own rideshare plan: drop-offs on Montgomery Street, Barack Obama Boulevard, and Cahill Street, and pickups on Stockton Avenue, Cahill Street, and Almaden Boulevard. According to the arena, Santa Clara Street between Barack Obama Boulevard and Cahill Street is closed to vehicles for 20 to 30 minutes after an event.
So when an event lets out, the crowd walks to a few pickup streets while drivers look for their riders.
Downtown, San Jose State, and the light rail lines
Downtown San Jose puts rideshare cars, VTA buses, VTA light rail, and students from the San Jose State University campus on the same blocks. A collision between your Uber and a VTA bus or train is a claim against a public transit agency as well as a rideshare claim.
Who takes the report
On city streets, the San Jose Police Department takes the report, and its Records Unit asks people to allow at least 45 days before inquiring online. On US-101, I-880, SR-87, I-280, and the other freeways, it is the California Highway Patrol. We do not wait for the report before securing the trip data.
Rideshare Insurance in 2026, Applied to a San Jose Trip
California requires Uber, Lyft, and other transportation network companies to carry insurance. Under Public Utilities Code 5433, coverage depends on the driver’s app status. SB 371, effective January 1, 2026, cut passenger UM/UIM coverage to $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident.
| What the driver was doing | A San Jose example | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| App off | Driving home after logging out | The driver’s personal auto policy only |
| App on, no ride accepted | Waiting for a request near the airport | $50,000 per person and $100,000 per incident for bodily injury, $30,000 for property damage, plus a $200,000 excess policy |
| Ride accepted, through the end of the trip | Heading to Terminal B to meet a rider | $1,000,000 in third-party liability when the rideshare driver is at fault |
| Passenger aboard, hit by an uninsured or underinsured driver | An uninsured driver hits your Lyft on Story Road | Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage of $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident |
Before 2026 the coverage in the last row was $1 million. Now, if your rideshare driver did nothing wrong and the driver who caused the crash has no insurance, the rideshare policy may leave you $60,000. We look for every other source, including the uninsured motorist coverage on your own car if you have one. Our explainer on uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage shows how the layers fit.
Proving the status. Insurers often dispute which row applies. The answer is in the company’s trip records, GPS logs, and in-app messages, and we request them in writing early. Your own screenshots and receipt email are often the cleanest proof of when the ride began.
If you were on foot or on a bike. Drivers must yield in crosswalks (Vehicle Code 21950), and Vehicle Code 22517 bars opening a door into traffic unless it is reasonably safe, the rule in a “dooring” crash at a drop-off. See what to do if you were hit by an Uber or Lyft driver as a pedestrian or cyclist in California.
The legal detail, including claims against the company itself, is on our main Uber and Lyft accident page and in Lyft accident vs Uber accident claims.
When the City, VTA, or the County Is Part of a San Jose Rideshare Crash
A rideshare claim and a government claim can come out of the same collision, in three ways.
- The airport. It belongs to the City of San Jose. A claim involving an airport vehicle or roadway is presented to the City, on the claim form published by the City Clerk’s office.
- VTA. A bus or light rail train strikes the car you are riding in. VTA’s claim form goes to its Board Secretary’s Office on North First Street and states that a claim must be filed within six months of the incident.
- The road. A dark signal on a city street points to the City. A defect on a county expressway such as Capitol, Almaden, or Montague points to the County of Santa Clara. A freeway defect points to the State: Caltrans takes claims of $12,500 or less at its district claims office, and claims over $12,500 go to the DGS Government Claims Program.
In each case the written claim is due within six months of the injury under Government Code 911.2, well before the two-year deadline that applies to the drivers and their insurers. As your San Jose Uber accident attorney, we identify the entity first. Read what to do if you have been injured due to a government entity.
What an Uber or Lyft Accident Claim Can Recover
Compensation covers your economic losses (medical care now and later, lost wages, lost earning capacity) and your non-economic losses (pain, emotional distress, and the loss of your normal life). In a rideshare case, what the claim is worth and what is available to pay it are two questions. App status, the number of injured passengers sharing one limit, and whether the at-fault driver was insured can matter as much as the injury. A passenger is rarely assigned any fault. For anyone else, pure comparative fault reduces compensation by that person’s share.
Deadlines for a San Jose Rideshare Accident Claim
| Claim | Deadline | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Injury claim against a driver, Uber, or Lyft | Generally 2 years from the injury | Code of Civil Procedure 335.1 |
| Claim against the City (including the airport), VTA, the County, or the State | 6 months from the injury, before any lawsuit | Government Code 911.2 |
| Injured child | Two-year deadline generally tolled until 18; the six-month claim is not paused | Code of Civil Procedure 352 |
When a child’s six-month claim has been missed, late-claim relief may be available under Government Code 911.4 and 911.6. See our guide to California personal injury time limits.
How We Handle an Uber Accident Case for Clients in San Jose
- Free consultation by phone or video. We tell you which policy applies and which deadline controls.
- Trip data. We send written requests to the rideshare company for trip records, app logs, and GPS data.
- Video. We ask for curbside and street footage before it is recorded over.
- Government claim, if one applies. We present it inside six months.
- Demand, then a lawsuit if needed. We generally file in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, where civil cases are handled at the Downtown Superior Court on North First Street.
These are firm results in vehicle cases from across our practice. They are not San Jose results, and not all are rideshare cases.
| Recovery | Case type |
|---|---|
| $3,500,000 | Motor vehicle accident with a county vehicle |
| $500,000 | Motor vehicle accident |
| $275,000 | Bus accident |
| $200,000 | Motor vehicle accident |
Each of these turned on its own injuries, evidence, and insurance.
Every result depended on the facts of that case, and results will differ based on different facts. Past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict the outcome of your matter.
For other injury claims, see our San Jose personal injury page.
Get Your Free Case Review From a San Jose Uber Accident Attorney
If the airport, a VTA vehicle, or a public road played a part, the six-month claim under Government Code 911.2 started on the day you were hurt.
Call Ravan Law at (424) 465-2500. The consultation is free, it happens by phone or video from our office on San Vicente Boulevard in Los Angeles, and there is no fee unless we win. For other injuries, see our San Jose pages on car accidents, truck accidents, slip and falls, dog bites, and sidewalk injuries and government claims. You can also see all of our locations.
Ravan Law, 6310 San Vicente Blvd., Suite 401, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Attorney Advertising. Ted H. Ravan, Esq., Ravan Law, Los Angeles, CA. This content is general information, not legal advice. Every case depends on its specific facts.
Every result depended on the facts of that case, and results will differ based on different facts. Past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict the outcome of your matter.
