Alameda Rideshare Accident Attorney
This is the Alameda office of the Law Offices of Joseph W. Campbell, a one-attorney personal injury law firm that represents people hurt as a passenger, in another vehicle, as a pedestrian, or as a cyclist in a rideshare accident. California law decides which insurance coverage applies based on what the Uber or Lyft driver's app was doing at the moment of the accident.
Joseph W. Campbell, the firm's attorney, has been a member of the California bar since 1972. You can speak with him directly and schedule a free consultation.
Call (510) 865-5409 or request a free consultation to talk with Joseph about what happened to you.
Talk With Joseph W. Campbell Directly
A free consultation at this office is scheduled directly with Joseph W. Campbell. He goes over what happened to you and answers your questions himself. If you would rather meet in person than talk by phone, you can do that too, at the Alameda office.
Who Can Bring a Claim After a Rideshare Accident
The Law Offices of Joseph W. Campbell represents people hurt as a passenger riding in the Uber or Lyft, people in another vehicle a rideshare driver hit, and pedestrians and cyclists struck by a rideshare vehicle. An Uber or Lyft accident can leave anyone in these situations with injuries, pain, medical bills, lost wages, and other losses.
If you were walking, the pedestrian accident page covers more of what applies to your situation. The bicycle accident page does the same if you were riding a bike, and the car accident page goes deeper if you were in another vehicle. If the accident resulted in the death of a loved one, the wrongful death page explains what a family can do next.
Meet Joseph W. Campbell
The practice now known as the Law Offices of Joseph W. Campbell began in 1931 as Nichols & Richard. Joseph W. Campbell and a partner took over the firm in 1978. You can read more about Joseph W. Campbell's background.
Joseph W. Campbell was admitted to the State Bar of California on December 13, 1972 (State Bar #53263), and his license is active today. You can check that for yourself on the State Bar's own lookup.
He is the firm's one attorney and does the legal work himself. Support staff help run the office day to day, but there is no team of lawyers behind him. Joseph is the attorney who reviews what happened to you and goes over your options with you.
The office is at 1301 Marina Village Parkway, Suite 330, Alameda, CA 94501, open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The phone number is (510) 865-5409. This is the firm's only office, and it is in Alameda.
What Happens When You Call
A call to the Law Offices of Joseph W. Campbell starts with a free consultation. You describe the accident and your injuries, and Joseph W. Campbell goes over the basics directly with you.
From there, the usual next step is a closer case evaluation: gathering the police or collision report, the trip record from the rideshare app, medical records for your injuries, and any other documentation, so there is a clearer picture of your case. An honest evaluation depends on your specific facts, so this office does not promise a result or a timeline.
If it makes sense to move forward, Joseph explains what that would involve and what he would need from you. If it does not, you will know that too.
Call (510) 865-5409 or request a free consultation to see what the next step looks like.
How Rideshare Insurance Works in California
California's rideshare insurance law ties coverage to what the driver's app was doing at the moment of the accident. The policy that applies, and how much coverage California law requires it to carry, depends on that app status.
California's rideshare insurance requirements begin when the driver logs on to the Uber or Lyft app, under Pub. Util. Code § 5433, so a driver who was not logged on is outside them. An accident that happens while the driver is not logged in is handled under the ordinary rules for any car accident. California law calls a rideshare company such as Uber or Lyft a transportation network company (Pub. Util. Code § 5431).
Once the app turns on, a different rule applies. California law requires the rideshare company's own insurance to step in during that period: a driver's personal auto policy does not cover driving done while the app is on, unless the policy expressly provides that coverage or the driver added a rideshare endorsement to it, under Pub. Util. Code § 5434. How much coverage the law requires from that point depends on what the app was doing when the accident happened:
| What the app was doing | Insurance California law requires | Public Utilities Code |
|---|---|---|
| App off (driver not logged in) | The rideshare insurance requirements do not apply; the accident is handled under the ordinary rules for any car accident | § 5433 (requirements begin when the driver logs on) |
| App on, waiting for a ride request | At least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per incident for bodily injury, plus $30,000 for property damage, plus $200,000 in excess coverage. The statute does not include an uninsured motorist requirement for this period | § 5433(c)(1)-(2) |
| Ride accepted, until the ride ends | $1,000,000 in primary liability coverage | § 5433(b)(1) |
| Passenger in the vehicle (uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage) | $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident, for accidents on or after January 1, 2026 | § 5433(b)(2) |
The fourth row changed recently. Before January 1, 2026, the uninsured and underinsured motorist figure for a rideshare passenger was $1,000,000. SB 371 (Stats. 2025, ch. 314) brought it down to the $60,000 and $300,000 figures above, and those figures are the current law for an accident happening on or after that date, not a pending or proposed change.
The rideshare company's coverage does not wait on the driver's personal insurer to deny the claim first. If the insurance a driver carries to meet these requirements has lapsed, the rideshare company must provide the required coverage from the first dollar of a claim, under Pub. Util. Code § 5433(d)-(e).
The figures above come from the current text of the statute itself. A number you read elsewhere about rideshare liability coverage may describe an older version of the law or round the figures in a way the statute itself does not.
Call (510) 865-5409 or request a free consultation if you want to go over which of these tiers applies to your accident.
If You Were Partly at Fault
In California personal injury cases, a person can recover compensation even after being found partly at fault for an accident. The California Supreme Court set this pure comparative-fault rule in Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804: a person's own share of fault reduces the compensation that person can recover, and does not eliminate the right to recover.
What the app was doing decides which insurance coverage applies to your accident. Fault is a separate question. It decides whose insurance pays and how much compensation you can recover for your injuries, and it does not change which insurance tiers apply to your accident.
What to Do After a Rideshare Accident in Alameda
A person hurt in a rideshare accident in Alameda should get medical care first, even if they feel only shaken up. If you need emergency care, Alameda Hospital, at 2070 Clinton Avenue, has an emergency department. If anyone was hurt, call 911 and let the police make a report.
If you were a passenger, a pedestrian, or a cyclist, these steps help your own situation: write down the driver's name and license plate, keep the trip record and receipt from the Uber or Lyft app and take screenshots of it, photograph the scene and your injuries, get the names and phone numbers of any witnesses, and ask the responding officer for the report number. Once a report exists, the Alameda Police Department's collision reports are available online to a driver or listed party about 7 to 10 business days after the accident, for a $14 processing fee.
The drivers involved have legal duties of their own. California law requires a driver involved in an injury accident to stop at the scene, under Veh. Code § 20001, and, driver to driver, to exchange names, addresses, driver's license numbers, and insurance information, under Veh. Code § 16025. A driver who injures someone else must also give that person his or her name and address and the vehicle's registration number and owner information, under Veh. Code § 20003. That section does not require the driver to hand over insurance details, so if you were a pedestrian or a cyclist, it is still worth asking for them.
If you were driving another vehicle in the accident, California also requires a written report to the police, in Alameda the Alameda Police Department or the CHP, within 24 hours if anyone was hurt or killed, under Veh. Code § 20008. Ask the responding officer whether the officer's own report already covers this requirement. A DMV SR-1 is also required within 10 days for any injury, death, or property damage over $1,000, under Veh. Code § 16000. Passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists don't need to make either report; the drivers do.
Deadlines That Apply to Your Claim
California gives you two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit, under Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1.
Some rideshare cases also involve a public entity, for example a government vehicle or a dangerous condition on a public road, which means a claim against a public entity. If your case does, the window is much shorter: you generally have six months to present a claim to that agency, under Gov. Code § 911.2. Late-claim relief exists only on specific grounds, such as excusable neglect, and only within one year of the accident, under Gov. Code §§ 911.4 and 911.6.
Missing either deadline can end a case regardless of how strong it otherwise is. If you are not sure which deadline applies to your situation, it is worth asking a lawyer early. Joseph W. Campbell can go over it with you during a free consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions people ask before deciding whether to call a lawyer after an Uber or Lyft accident in Alameda.
Get medical care even if your injuries seem minor, and call 911 if anyone is hurt. Note the driver's name and license plate, keep the trip record from the Uber or Lyft app, and get the names and numbers of any witnesses. Ask the responding officer for the report number, and once it is available, request the Alameda Police Department's collision report online, usually ready in about 7 to 10 business days for a $14 fee. If you were driving another vehicle in the accident, California also requires a written report to the police within 24 hours if anyone was hurt and a DMV SR-1 within 10 days.
If the app was off, California's rideshare insurance requirements do not apply to the accident, and it is handled under the ordinary rules for any car accident. Whether the app was logged on is a fact the records can settle, and it is worth finding out early, since it decides which insurance rule applies to your accident.
Yes. California follows a pure comparative-fault rule, so your own share of fault reduces what you can recover, but your right to recover is not eliminated.
You generally have two years from the date of the accident to file an ordinary personal injury lawsuit, under California Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. If a government agency or vehicle was involved, you generally have only six months to present a claim, under Government Code section 911.2, with late-claim relief available only on limited grounds and only within one year.
California law requires the rideshare company's own insurance to cover accidents that happen while the driver's app is on, in amounts set by California Public Utilities Code section 5433. Whether the company itself can be held responsible beyond that insurance depends on the specific facts of the accident. That is one of the questions Joseph W. Campbell goes over in a free consultation.
Passengers riding in the vehicle at the time of the accident, people in another vehicle the rideshare driver hit, and pedestrians or cyclists struck by a rideshare vehicle can bring a claim after a rideshare accident.
Schedule Your Free Consultation
A free consultation with Joseph W. Campbell is the way to find out where you stand after a rideshare accident in Alameda, whether you were a passenger, a pedestrian, a cyclist, or someone in another vehicle. You'll talk with him directly about what happened, which insurance coverage may apply, and what your options are under California law, at his own Alameda office. Nothing has to be decided on that first call.
Call (510) 865-5409 or request a free consultation online today to get started.