Bakersfield Rideshare Accident Attorneys
Bakersfield Uber & Lyft Accident Lawyer
Where a Bakersfield rideshare collision happened decides more than you would expect. A crash on a city street, one on a county road and one on State Route 99 or 58 can involve three different public entities, three different claim offices and two different agencies writing the report.
Whether you were a passenger, driving for Uber or Lyft, or in the vehicle a rideshare driver hit, Burg & Brock establishes app status, identifies every policy that may respond, and documents what the collision cost you.
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UberLawyer.com is the dedicated rideshare injury practice of the Law Offices of Burg & Brock, A Professional Law Corporation. Free consultation.
The attorney behind this practice
Cameron Yadidi Brock
Founding Attorney, Law Offices of Burg & Brock · California State Bar No. 183112 · Admitted June 1996
Can I Make a Claim After an Uber or Lyft Accident in Bakersfield?
Potentially. It depends on who caused the collision, which seat you were in, what the driver’s app was doing at the moment of impact, and what your injuries turn out to require.
A passenger, a rideshare driver and a person struck by a rideshare vehicle hold three different claims against three different coverage positions, even in the same crash. In Bakersfield there is a second question layered on top: if a roadway condition contributed, which public entity owns that road. The answer changes who you present a claim to and it does not change the six-month deadline.
Which Situation Describes You?
Uber & Lyft Accidents in Bakersfield
Bakersfield rideshare trips run across three different kinds of road, and which one you were on decides who you would be dealing with.
On a city street, the Bakersfield Police Department writes the collision report and releases it through an online portal for a small fee. On State Route 99, State Route 58 or in unincorporated Kern County, the California Highway Patrol handles it instead.
The same split runs through the claim side, and this is where cases get lost. If a roadway condition contributed, a city street means a claim to the Bakersfield City Clerk on Truxtun Avenue. A county road means Kern County, a separate entity. But SR-99 and SR-58 are state highways maintained by Caltrans, so a claim there goes to the State of California through the Government Claims Program in West Sacramento, on its own form and with a filing fee the city and county do not charge. All three run on the same six-month clock.
One thing Bakersfield does not have is a local rideshare rulebook. Uber and Lyft operate here under permits issued by the California Public Utilities Commission rather than by the city, so the rules that apply to them are state rules. At Meadows Field, Uber and Lyft are the only rideshare companies authorised to operate.
Why the Driver’s Uber or Lyft Status Matters
California sets rideshare insurance requirements by app status, in Public Utilities Code section 5433.
App off
Personal policy
Not working. The driver’s personal auto policy is generally the starting point.
App on, no ride accepted
Reduced commercial coverage
Waiting for a request. $50,000 per person, $100,000 per incident, $30,000 property damage, plus $200,000 excess.
Ride accepted onward
$1 million primary
$1,000,000 primary liability from acceptance to drop-off. Once a passenger is in the car, uninsured motorist cover of $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident also applies (crashes on or after January 1, 2026).
One timing detail matters. The $1 million coverage attaches from the moment the driver accepts the request, not from the moment a passenger gets in. Someone struck by a driver still on the way to collect a passenger is in the higher band, even though the car was empty.
A policy limit is the ceiling on what one policy can pay, not what a claim is worth. Learn more about Uber and Lyft accident insurance →
Who Can Be Responsible for a Bakersfield Rideshare Accident?
Not every party below is involved in any given case, and on a Bakersfield road the public entity question has three possible answers.
The Uber or Lyft driver
Their conduct, and what the app was doing when it happened.
Another motorist
Often the party actually at fault, particularly where the rideshare vehicle was struck.
The vehicle owner
Rideshare vehicles are not always owned by the person driving them.
An employer or business
Where another driver involved was working at the time.
A vehicle or component manufacturer
Where a part failed rather than simply wore out.
A public entity
Only where the roadway or public property facts support it, and here that means three possible defendants: the City of Bakersfield, Kern County, or the State of California if the crash was on SR-99 or SR-58.
This page will not tell you Uber or Lyft is automatically responsible. Their coverage may respond, which is a different thing from the company being directly liable.
What Compensation May Be Available?
- Medical expenses
- Future medical care
- Lost income
- Reduced earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Property damage
- Other supported losses
What a claim is worth turns on the injuries, the treatment still needed and the earnings lost, established from records rather than estimated. No calculator on this page produces that, because none can.
What Should I Do After an Uber or Lyft Crash in Bakersfield?
01
Get appropriate medical care
Adrenaline hides a great deal at the scene.
02
Contact police when appropriate
Bakersfield Police for city streets; the CHP for State Route 99, State Route 58 and unincorporated Kern County.
03
Photograph the vehicles and scene
Positions, damage, and the road itself, if you are able and safe.
04
Save the trip in the app
Screenshot the receipt and trip detail. It is the cleanest proof of what the app was doing.
05
Identify drivers and witnesses
Names, plates, insurance and a number for anyone who saw it.
06
Keep medical, wage and vehicle records
Bills, treatment notes, lost time and repair documents.
07
Take advice before any final settlement
A release signed before the medical picture is clear is difficult to undo.
How Burg & Brock Investigates a Rideshare Accident
01
Identify claimant type
Passenger, driver or third party. It changes everything that follows.
02
Determine app status
From trip records and company data, not the driver’s account at the scene.
03
Preserve evidence
Trip data, vehicle data and footage, before retention periods run out.
04
Determine liability
Which driver, and which other parties, actually contributed.
05
Identify insurance
Every policy that may respond, including your own.
06
Document losses and pursue the claim
Injuries, earnings and future care, then negotiation or suit.
2 years*
Many California personal injury lawsuits generally have a two-year limitation period from the date of injury.
*Not a universal deadline. A claim against the City of Bakersfield, Kern County or the State of California generally must be presented within six months, and those are three different offices with three different forms.
Serving Rideshare Accident Victims in Bakersfield
Burg & Brock represents people injured in rideshare collisions in Bakersfield and throughout California. The firm’s office of record is in Sherman Oaks.
A first conversation costs nothing. It is usually enough to establish which of the three claimant positions you are in, what the app status is likely to have been, and whether any deadline shorter than two years applies to your case.
Bakersfield Rideshare Accident FAQs
Who has my collision report if the crash was in Bakersfield?
It depends on the road. The Bakersfield Police Department handles city streets and releases reports through an online portal for a small fee. If the collision was on State Route 99, State Route 58 or in unincorporated Kern County, the California Highway Patrol wrote the report instead and it comes from them.
What if a road condition caused or contributed to the crash?
Then the first question is who owns the road. A city street means a claim to the Bakersfield City Clerk on Truxtun Avenue. An unincorporated county road means Kern County. State Route 99 and State Route 58 are Caltrans highways, so that claim goes to the State of California through its Government Claims Program, on a different form and with a filing fee. All three generally run on a six-month deadline under Government Code section 911.2.
What insurance applies after an Uber accident in Bakersfield?
It depends on app status. App off, the driver’s personal policy applies. App on with no ride accepted, $50,000 per person and $100,000 per incident for injuries, $30,000 for property damage, and $200,000 in excess coverage. From acceptance, $1,000,000 primary liability. Once the passenger is in the car, uninsured motorist cover of $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident also applies (crashes on or after January 1, 2026).
Does the $1 million policy mean my case is worth $1 million?
No. A policy limit is a ceiling on what that policy can pay, not a valuation. Value depends on the injuries, treatment still needed, lost earnings and what the evidence supports.
How long do I have to file a claim?
Many California injury lawsuits carry a two-year period, but it is not universal. If the City of Bakersfield, Kern County or the State of California may be responsible for a roadway condition, a claim generally has to be presented within six months, to whichever of the three actually owns that road.
Injured in a rideshare crash somewhere else in California? See all the cities we cover.
Talk to a Bakersfield Uber & Lyft Accident Lawyer
Tell us which road you were on and which seat you were in. Between them those two facts decide who wrote your report, which of three public entities any roadway claim goes to, and which insurance band applies.
Free consultation. Ask us how fees and case costs are handled before you decide anything.
Attorney Advertising. UberLawyer.com is the dedicated rideshare injury practice of the Law Offices of Burg & Brock, A Professional Law Corporation, with an office of record in Sherman Oaks, California. Cameron Yadidi Brock, California State Bar No. 183112, is responsible for its content.
The information here is general, describes California law as of September 2026, and is not legal advice for any particular situation. Contacting the firm through this page does not create an attorney-client relationship. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
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