# What if I was driving for a rideshare service when I was hurt? Canonical: https://californiapersonalinjurylaws.com/guides/rideshare-driver-injury/ Reviewed by Andrew (Andy) R. Gillin; publisher reported approval on 2026-11-04. Original review date was not supplied. ## Short answer Coverage may depend on what you were doing in the app when the crash happened. Personal and rideshare policies may have different roles. Fault and harm still need proof. ## Hypothetical example A rideshare driver has a passenger during a crash. They save the trip record and the policy information. ## How the rule works California’s rideshare insurance rules distinguish stages of app activity. Keep the app and trip records so the right stage can be checked. ## What can change the answer Having the app installed does not prove that one policy covers every loss. This guide does not decide your work status or every possible claim. ## A useful next step Save the trip status, crash records, and all relevant policies. Ask which coverage applies to the event. ## Court decisions behind this answer ### Waller v. Truck Ins. Exchange, Inc. (1995) 11 Cal.4th 1, pp. 18–19. The court read the policy to decide if a loss might be covered. What the contract says matters. Limit: This was a business policy. It does not show what your own car policy pays. Source: https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/4th/11/1.html ### Cabral v. Ralphs Grocery Co. (2011) 51 Cal.4th 764, slip op., pp. 1–3. The court rejected a broad no-duty rule for a truck stopped beside a freeway. Drivers still had to use ordinary care. Limit: It did not hold that every roadside stop is careless. The facts matter when deciding breach and cause. Source: https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/2011/s178799/ ## Sources - [California Public Utilities Commission — Rideshare insurance requirements](https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/regulatory-services/licensing/transportation-licensing-and-analysis-branch/transportation-network-companies/tnc-insurance-requirements) - [California Department of Insurance — Automobile insurance guide](https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/105-type/95-guides/01-auto/auto101.cfm) - [California Civil Code § 1714 — Responsibility for harm](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1714.) - [Waller v. Truck Ins. Exchange, Inc. (1995) 11 Cal.4th 1](https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/4th/11/1.html) - [Cabral v. Ralphs Grocery Co. (2011) 51 Cal.4th 764](https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/2011/s178799/) General information, not legal advice.