If you are involved in an Uber car accident in Missouri, take care of your immediate safety and medical needs before trying to determine who is responsible or which insurance company should pay.
After the crash:
- Move to a safe location and call 911 when needed.
- Tell police and medical providers what you saw and how you feel.
- Save your Uber trip receipt, photos, witness information, and messages.
- Report the crash through the Uber app.
- Consider speaking with a lawyer before giving an insurance company a recorded statement.
Note: Reporting the crash through the app is not the same as agreeing to a detailed interview with an insurance adjuster.
Missouri requires at least $1 million in primary auto liability coverage while an Uber or Lyft driver is carrying out an accepted ride. That coverage does not guarantee payment or determine who caused the crash, but it makes the driver's trip status an important part of the claim.
You do not need to solve every insurance question at the scene. Your first job is to protect your health and save the information that may become important later.
If you have questions about what to do after a Missouri Uber accident, contact The Bruning Law Firm to discuss your situation.
Take care of your health before dealing with insurance
Your health and safety come first after an Uber crash.
Move to a safe place if you can. Call 911 if someone may be injured or the crash creates a danger. Tell police and medical responders what you saw and how you feel. You can deal with the insurance questions after everyone is safe.
Nic Sinclair gives injured passengers the same first instruction he would give a friend: “Get treatment.” He also warns people not to assume the pain will simply go away: “You can't just tough it out. It's not gonna help you.” Waiting can allow an injury to worsen and make it harder to show when the symptoms began.
Some injuries are obvious right away. Others become noticeable after the shock of the crash wears off. Sinclair described passengers who feel functional at first and wake up in pain the next day. You do not need to diagnose yourself. Describe what changed and let a qualified medical professional evaluate it.
Be accurate, even when the honest answer is “I don't know.” If you were looking at your phone and did not see the impact, say that. If something hurts, describe it. A truthful account is more useful than a guess that later conflicts with the evidence.
Missouri requires at least $1 million in primary auto liability coverage while an Uber or Lyft driver is carrying out an accepted ride. The rule appears in RSMo § 379.1702.3(1). That does not guarantee payment, and it should not delay medical care. It simply makes the status of the trip important later.
Missouri personal injury attorney Nic Sinclair of The Bruning Law Firm advises injured passengers to focus first on treatment and accurate records. Insurance companies may later question whether the crash caused the injuries, so the medical timeline matters.
If you are unsure where to seek care, The Bruning Law Firm has separate guidance on urgent care after a car accident and when an emergency-room visit may be appropriate. Those articles offer general information. Your symptoms should guide the decision you make with a medical professional.
Save the Uber trip details while you can still find them
Save the information that identifies your ride and shows what happened.
This may include the trip receipt, the driver's name, vehicle and license plate, pickup and destination, crash location, photos, witness contacts, police information, medical records, and messages from Uber, Lyft, a driver, or an insurance company.
Pay attention to what you personally observed. The driver may have been texting, switching between ride requests, or looking away from traffic. The driver also may have done nothing wrong. Your job at the scene is not to decide who is legally responsible. It is to save the details you actually saw.
The driver's app status affects the insurance that may apply. After a crash, Missouri law requires the driver to provide proof of the required insurance and, when properly asked, say whether the driver was logged in or carrying out an accepted ride. That rule appears in RSMo § 379.1702.8.
Take screenshots of the trip while the information is still easy to find. Keep the original photos and files instead of relying on social media posts. You can also keep a simple dated record of medical visits, symptoms, missed work, expenses, and crash-related conversations. Do not add details you did not observe or alter photos.
The goal is simple: record what happened without filling the gaps with guesses. Good records can help later. Speculation can create contradictions.
Report the crash through the app, but keep it simple
Report the crash through the Uber or Lyft app so the company has a record of what happened.
Keep the first report short and factual. Explain when and where the crash happened, who was involved, and whether you were hurt or sought medical care. Do not guess about who was responsible or how serious your injuries may be.
Sinclair's advice is direct: “submit that claim to Uber to open it to make sure they're notified of what's happened.” That report creates a record. It may also lead to calls or messages from Uber, Lyft, an insurance company, another driver, or several representatives with different interests.
Reporting the crash is not the same as giving a recorded statement. A basic report identifies the trip and what happened. A recorded interview may ask about speed, what you could see, who was at fault, your symptoms, prior health problems, missed work, and how serious the injuries may be before you have complete information.
Missouri personal injury attorney Nic Sinclair of The Bruning Law Firm advises injured passengers not to give an insurance company an unnecessary recorded statement before they understand what is being requested. An adjuster's questions can shape answers that may later be used to challenge the claim.
This does not mean you should lie, ignore a legal duty, or refuse information you are required to provide. It means you can slow down, answer only what you know, and get advice before agreeing to a recorded interview or signing a release. The firm's guide on what not to say to insurance after a car accident explains this distinction in more detail.
Which insurance company pays often depends on who caused the crash
Before you can determine which insurance company should pay, you need to understand who caused the crash.
The Uber driver may be responsible. Another driver may be responsible. Sometimes, both drivers share responsibility. What each driver did helps determine which insurance policy applies and where an injured passenger should begin the claim.
Sinclair starts with one question: “What happened? We want to know before we know anything else.” If the Uber or Lyft driver caused the crash during an accepted ride, the driver's rideshare coverage may apply. If another driver caused it, that driver's insurance may be the first place to look. If both contributed, both sides may need to be investigated.
Missouri requires different minimum insurance coverage depending on what the rideshare driver was doing:
- If the driver was logged in and waiting for a request, the minimum coverage is $50,000 per person, $100,000 per crash, and $25,000 for property damage.
- If the driver had accepted a ride and was carrying out that trip, the minimum coverage is at least $1 million for death, bodily injury, and property damage.
These are minimum insurance limits under RSMo § 379.1702.2–3. They are not a promise that a passenger will receive those amounts. What may be recovered depends on who caused the crash, the injuries and losses that can be proved, the policy language, and any other available coverage.
You do not need to choose an insurance company at the scene. Save the trip and crash information first. The next step is to determine who caused the crash and which coverage was active at that time. The Bruning Law Firm's St. Louis Uber and Lyft accident page explains how the firm reviews those overlapping issues.
Talking to an insurance adjuster does not automatically end your claim
If you already spoke with an insurance adjuster, do not assume you have ruined your case.
Write down who called, what was discussed, and what you said. Save any emails, messages, or recordings you have. Before giving another statement or signing anything, consider getting advice about what to do next.
Sinclair says some passengers call after an adjuster offers an amount that does not seem connected to what happened. Others said they felt “fine” before later testing showed an injury. His response is neither panic nor blame: “Honestly, don't worry about it.” An early statement may reflect what you knew and felt at that time.
That does not mean every statement is harmless. A signed release, an accepted settlement, a conflicting account, or deleted evidence can create serious problems. The effect depends on the words used, the documents signed, the timing, and the medical evidence.
Sinclair describes the right mindset with a golf analogy: “The next shot's the most important shot.” You cannot change a conversation that already happened. You can protect the next decision by preserving the facts and getting advice before responding again.
While the call is fresh, write down the adjuster's name, company, phone number, the date, the questions asked, and the answers you gave. Do not call back repeatedly to “correct” the story. Let the records and qualified advice guide the next response.
A lawyer can help you understand what happens next
You do not have to sort through every record and insurance question by yourself.
A lawyer can help confirm the driver's ride status, collect police and trip records, preserve evidence, compare the drivers' accounts, document medical treatment and missed work, locate the available insurance policies, and explain how to respond to each company.
Sinclair begins with fault because that determines who belongs in the claim. A disputed passenger case may involve the rideshare driver, Uber or Lyft, another driver, several insurance companies, and separate lawyers. Each may have a different view of what happened and what the passenger's injuries are worth.
The Bruning Law Firm's service standard is straightforward. Sinclair says the firm should answer questions, communicate, do what it says, and avoid promises it cannot keep: “We don't get out over our skis and make promises we can't deliver on.” An early review should not predict a result before the evidence is available. It should give the client a clear next step.
A general article cannot determine whether you have a claim, which insurance applies, or what the claim may be worth. If you want The Bruning Law Firm to review what happened and explain your options, contact the firm for a consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I report an Uber accident through the app?
Yes. A short, factual report can notify the company and create a record connected to the trip. Save a copy and do not guess. Reporting the crash does not require you to agree to a detailed recorded interview.
What should I save after an Uber accident?
Save the trip receipt, screenshots, driver and vehicle information, photos, witness contacts, police information, medical records, expense records, proof of missed work, and every message from Uber, Lyft, a driver, or an insurance company.
What if I felt fine at the scene but hurt the next day?
Get appropriate medical care and explain when the symptoms began. Do not diagnose yourself or change the timeline. Medical records can show how your condition developed after the crash.
Whose insurance pays an injured Uber passenger?
It depends on who caused the crash and whether the rideshare driver was waiting for a request or carrying out an accepted ride. Missouri requires different minimum coverage during those periods, but the facts and policy terms still matter.
Did I ruin my case by talking to an insurance adjuster?
Not automatically. Save any record of the conversation and get advice about what it may mean. A signed release or a significantly conflicting statement can matter, but an early phone call must be evaluated in context.
You Do Not Have to Figure Out a Missouri Rideshare Claim Alone
After an Uber or Lyft crash, you may be dealing with injuries, medical appointments, calls from insurance companies, and questions about who is supposed to pay. You should not have to sort through all of that without knowing what comes next.
The Bruning Law Firm helps injured passengers understand which driver and insurance company may be responsible, what information needs to be saved, and what the next step may look like. Our rideshare accident lawyers help clients in St. Louis, Kansas City, Creve Coeur, and Jefferson City.
If you would like to talk with our team about what happened, contact The Bruning Law Firm online or call (314) 735-8100.
A.J. Bruning
Founder
I was born and raised to represent individuals who have been needlessly injured. I mean that literally. At a young age my father would tell me about the clients he was representing. I would meet them and take pride in their admiration of my father. I always knew I wanted to be a lawyer and represent clients that needed my help.
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