If you have been injured in an Uber or Lyft accident in Salina, you are facing an insurance situation that most people are not prepared for. Kansas law requires rideshare companies to carry tiered coverage that changes based on whether the driver had accepted a ride request when the accident happened, and your own personal auto policy may not apply at all.
At Bretz Injury Law, our Salina rideshare accident attorneys understand how the Kansas Transportation Network Company Services Act applies to your claim and know how to work through overlapping policies to determine who owes you compensation. Whether you were a passenger, a rideshare driver, or a motorist struck by an Uber or Lyft vehicle, our legal team will review the facts of your accident and fight for the full amount you are owed.
Attorney Matthew Bretz has spent over 30 years handling personal injury cases across Kansas, and our Salina office at 100 N 7th St is ready to review your case at no cost. Call (785) 268-4968 for a free consultation. You pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.
Uber & Lyft Accident Attorneys Serving Salina
Bretz Injury Law represents passengers, drivers, and bystanders who have been injured in rideshare accidents throughout Salina and the surrounding areas of Saline County. Salina sits at the intersection of I-70 and I-135, two of the busiest corridors in central Kansas, and rideshare usage along these routes continues to grow as more people rely on Uber and Lyft for airport trips, late-night transportation, and everyday travel.
That growth has brought new accident risks to a community that is more accustomed to traditional car crashes than to the layered insurance questions that come with rideshare collisions. Nationally, insurance disputes play a role in roughly 40% of all rideshare accident claims. The coverage structure under Kansas law makes it even harder for victims in smaller markets like Salina to figure out who owes them what.
Most local attorneys have never handled a Kansas TNC insurance claim, and many Salina victims are left without the specialized guidance these cases require.
We handle rideshare injury claims across Saline County and the surrounding communities, bringing the same resources and proven track record to Salina that we bring to every office we serve. If you or someone in your family was hurt in a rideshare accident, we are ready to help.
Without an Attorney vs. With Bretz Injury Law
Most rideshare accident victims in Salina have no way of knowing which insurance policy covers their injuries or how to file an insurance claim against it. Uber and Lyft both carry tiered coverage, and the companies behind those policies are not going to walk you through your options.
What they will do is move quickly. Adjusters often reach out within days of an accident with a recorded statement request or a low settlement offer designed to close your claim before you understand what it is actually worth. Once you accept that offer or say the wrong thing on a recorded call, you cannot go back and ask for more.
We understand how overwhelming it is to deal with insurance companies while recovering from your injuries. Our firm was built to handle exactly this. An attorney at Bretz Injury Law will sort through the insurance layers on your behalf and handle all communication with the adjusters. Every claim gets filed against every responsible party so that nothing falls through the cracks.
How Kansas Law Affects Your Uber & Lyft Accident Case
Kansas has its own statute governing how Uber and Lyft insurance works, and it differs from the laws in neighboring states. The Kansas Transportation Network Company Services Act, codified at K.S.A. 8-2701 et seq., sets specific insurance requirements for every rideshare vehicle operating in the state. These requirements are tied to what the driver was doing in the app at the time of the accident, creating a tiered coverage system that directly controls how much insurance money is available for your claim.
Kansas also follows a modified comparative fault rule under K.S.A. 60-258a, which means your total recovery will be reduced by the percentage of fault assigned to you. If you are found to be 50% or more responsible for the accident, Kansas law bars you from recovering any compensation at all. Getting these rules right can determine whether your rideshare accident claim filed in Saline County District Court succeeds or fails.
Kansas TNC Insurance Tiers
K.S.A. 8-2708 divides rideshare insurance into tiers based on the driver’s status in the app. During Period 1, when the driver has the app turned on but has not yet accepted a ride request, the minimum coverage is $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage.
Once the driver accepts a ride or picks up a passenger, Periods 2 and 3 require $1,000,000 in combined coverage for death, bodily injury, and property damage. This coverage can be carried by the driver, by Uber or Lyft directly, or by a combination of both, and if the driver’s own policy lapses, the TNC’s insurance responds from the first dollar.
The Period 1 Coverage Gap
Period 1 is where most rideshare accident victims run into trouble. During this window, the driver is logged into the Uber or Lyft app and waiting for a ride request, but no trip has been accepted yet. The TNC coverage available is limited to the $50,000/$100,000/$25,000 minimums, which may not come close to covering serious injuries.
The driver’s personal auto policy may not cover them at all during Period 1 either. Most rideshare accident victims in Salina never see this coverage gap coming, and it catches more people off guard than any other part of the insurance process.
Personal Auto Policy Exclusions Under K.S.A. 8-2710
Under K.S.A. 8-2710, Kansas personal auto insurers are permitted to exclude all coverage while a driver is logged on to a TNC’s digital network. That exclusion can apply to liability, personal injury protection, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, medical payments, comprehensive, and collision. If your insurer has written this exclusion into your policy, your personal coverage disappears the moment you open the Uber or Lyft app.
Insurers who exclude coverage under this statute have no duty to defend or pay any claim that falls within the exclusion. However, the law does require both the TNC and its insurers to cooperate during a claims investigation by sharing the driver’s exact app log-on and log-off times in the 12 hours before and after the accident.
Who Can Be Held Liable for a Rideshare Accident in Salina?
Rideshare accidents often involve more than one liable party, and each one brings a separate insurance policy into play. Who pays for your injuries depends on the driver’s app status when the crash happened and whether another motorist contributed. Kansas law then assigns fault among everyone involved.
Under K.S.A. 8-2702, Uber and Lyft drivers are classified as independent contractors rather than employees. Both companies use that label to limit their direct liability, but it does not eliminate their insurance obligations under Kansas law. The TNC’s commercial insurance still applies when the driver is active on the platform.
If another driver caused the crash, both their personal auto insurance and the TNC’s commercial policy may apply. Government entities may share fault if poorly maintained roads along the I-70 or I-135 corridors contributed to the accident. Your attorney’s job is to investigate the crash and build claims against each responsible party, filing against more than one insurer when the facts support it.
What Should You Do After an Uber or Lyft Accident?
The steps you take in the hours and days after a rideshare accident in Salina can shape the outcome of your entire claim. Call 911 and seek medical attention as soon as possible, even if you feel fine at the scene. Some injuries, including concussions and internal bleeding, do not produce obvious symptoms right away. A gap between the accident date and your first medical visit gives the insurance company a reason to argue that your injuries came from something else.
While you are still at the scene, open your Uber or Lyft app and screenshot your trip receipt and ride details. This screenshot can make or break your claim because it proves you were on an active trip and establishes which insurance period applies. Take photos of all vehicles involved, the road conditions, and any visible injuries, and collect contact information from witnesses if you can.
Report the accident through the Uber or Lyft app, but do not accept any in-app settlement offer and do not give a recorded statement to any insurance company before speaking with an attorney. Contact a Salina rideshare accident attorney before you engage with any insurer so that your words and your rights are protected from the start.
What Compensation Can You Recover After a Rideshare Accident?
If you were hurt in an Uber or Lyft accident in Salina, you have the right to pursue both economic and non-economic damages under Kansas law. Economic damages cover the financial losses you can document, including medical bills, emergency room costs, physical therapy, prescription medications, and any future treatment your doctors say you will need. If your injuries kept you from working or reduced your ability to earn a living going forward, you can also seek compensation for lost wages and diminished earning capacity.
The pain and disruption that follow a rideshare accident reach far beyond what shows up on a hospital bill. You may be dealing with chronic pain, anxiety about riding in a car again, and the frustration of watching your daily life shrink around an injury you did nothing to cause. Kansas law recognizes these non-economic losses as real and compensable. In cases involving a fatal rideshare accident, surviving family members may also pursue a wrongful death claim.
In cases involving an active ride, the TNC’s $1 million commercial policy means there may be substantial insurance funds available to cover your damages. Uber and Lyft fight aggressively to minimize what they pay out on these policies. An attorney who knows how to pressure a TNC insurer into a fair offer matters just as much as having the coverage itself.
How Long Do You Have to File a Rideshare Accident Claim in Kansas?
Under K.S.A. 60-513, the statute of limitations for personal injury cases in Kansas is two years from the date of your injury. That deadline applies whether your rideshare accident happened on I-70, along the I-135 corridor, or anywhere else in Saline County. Evidence fades quickly after an accident. App data can be deleted, dashcam footage gets overwritten, and witnesses forget what they saw. The sooner you contact a Salina rideshare accident lawyer, the stronger your case will be.
How Bretz Injury Law Can Help
For over 30 years, attorney Matthew Bretz has been fighting for injured Kansans and holding negligent parties accountable. Our firm has recovered over $300 million in settlements and verdicts, and our Salina office at 100 N 7th St is ready to put that experience to work for you. We work on a contingency fee basis, which means you owe us nothing unless we recover compensation for you.
If you or someone in your family was injured in an Uber or Lyft accident in Salina, call (785) 268-4968 today for a free consultation. Do not try to sort out the insurance maze alone, because we are here to help.