Djougourian Law Corporation Warns Burbank Residents: Rising Rideshare Accidents

Written by

Rideshare Accident Alert: Quick Legal Action Essential in LA Due to Strict Deadlines & Complex TNC Insuran

Burbank, United States – March 14, 2026 / Djougourian Law Corporation /

BURBANK, California, March, 2026

Djougourian Law Corporation Warns Burbank Residents: Rising Rideshare Accidents Demand Immediate Legal Action

California’s Two-Year Statute of Limitations and Complex TNC Insurance Rules Leave Accident Victims at Risk Without Prompt Counsel

BURBANK, Calif. — Djougourian Law Corporation, a Burbank-based personal injury firm specializing in Transportation Network Company (TNC) accident litigation, today issued a public advisory alerting Los Angeles County residents to a significant increase in rideshare-related accidents involving Uber and Lyft vehicles. The firm urges anyone injured in a rideshare accident to seek legal counsel immediately, citing California’s strict two-year statute of limitations on personal injury claims (California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1) and the layered insurance complexities unique to TNC accidents under California law.

RIDESHARE ACCIDENTS ON THE RISE IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY

According to data published by the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s annual traffic collision summaries, traffic incidents involving for-hire and rideshare vehicles have grown alongside the dramatic expansion of TNC service availability across the Los Angeles metro area. Djougourian Law Corporation has observed a corresponding increase in rideshare-related legal inquiries from Burbank and surrounding communities over the past 18 months, consistent with regional trends in TNC service utilization.

As rideshare platforms continue to expand their driver bases and trip volumes, the statistical likelihood of accident exposure increases proportionally for both passengers and third-party motorists sharing the road with active TNC vehicles.

STATEMENT FROM ATTORNEY ARTHUR DJOUGOURIAN

“Rideshare accidents are among the most procedurally complex personal injury cases we handle. Uber and Lyft maintain sophisticated legal and insurance teams whose primary objective is to minimize payouts. We consistently see insurers dispute which coverage period was active at the time of an accident — a determination that can mean the difference between $50,000 and $1,000,000 in available liability coverage. Victims who delay in seeking legal counsel often lose critical evidence and risk missing mandatory filing deadlines. We offer free consultations because we believe every Burbank resident deserves to understand their rights before making any decisions.”

— Arthur Djougourian, Founder and Managing Attorney, Djougourian Law Corporation

CALIFORNIA’S TNC INSURANCE FRAMEWORK: WHAT VICTIMS NEED TO KNOW

Unlike standard vehicle accidents, rideshare crashes are governed by a tiered insurance framework established under California Assembly Bill 2293 (AB 2293, effective July 1, 2015), codified in California Insurance Code § 11580.9. The applicable coverage depends entirely on what “period” of TNC activity the driver was in at the moment of the accident:

Driver Status	Coverage Phase	Liability Limit
App OFF	No Coverage	Driver’s personal policy only
App ON – No Match	Period 1	$50K/$100K bodily injury; $25K property (contingent)
Match Accepted → Trip End	Periods 2 & 3	$1,000,000 third-party liability + UM/UIM

Determining the active period requires a detailed forensic review of TNC platform data, GPS timestamps, and driver activity logs – evidence that is time-sensitive and may be overwritten or become inaccessible if not preserved through prompt legal action. Djougourian Law Corporation has experience compelling Uber and Lyft to produce this data through formal discovery.

CALIFORNIA’S PURE COMPARATIVE FAULT DOCTRINE

California follows a pure comparative fault system (established in Li v. Yellow Cab Co., 13 Cal.3d 804 (1975)), meaning a victim may recover damages even if they are partially at fault for an accident. Under this doctrine, an award is reduced proportionally by the plaintiff’s percentage of fault, but is not eliminated. This is a meaningful distinction that rideshare accident victims should understand: insurers routinely attempt to assign inflated fault percentages to claimants as a tactic to reduce settlement exposure. An experienced attorney can rebut these characterizations with evidence and expert analysis.

CRITICAL DEADLINES: DO NOT DELAY

California law imposes strict time limits on rideshare accident claims. Missing these deadlines results in permanent loss of the right to seek compensation:

Personal Injury Claims: 2 years from the date of injury — California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1
Property Damage Claims: 3 years from the date of the incident — California Code of Civil Procedure § 338
Government Entity Involvement: If a government vehicle or entity is involved (e.g., a city-operated infrastructure failure contributed to the accident), a Government Tort Claim must be filed within just 6 months under the California Government Claims Act (Government Code § 911.2). This abbreviated deadline is the most frequently missed and can be catastrophic for victims who are unaware of it.

Beyond statute of limitations concerns, early intervention also preserves physical evidence at the scene, secures witness statements before memories fade, and ensures that TNC platform data, which companies are not indefinitely obligated to retain, is formally requested before it is purged.

DRIVER CLASSIFICATION AND LIABILITY: PROP 22 CONTEXT

California’s ongoing legal tension between AB 5 (which reclassified gig workers as employees) and Proposition 22 (approved by voters in November 2020, which carved out TNC drivers as independent contractors) remains a contested area of California labor and tort law. While Proposition 22 was upheld in significant part by the California Court of Appeal in 2021, the classification of TNC drivers as independent contractors rather than employees has direct implications for vicarious liability claims against Uber and Lyft. Plaintiffs’ attorneys must understand this landscape thoroughly when building a case, as it affects which legal theories of employer liability are available.

FREE CONSULTATIONS AVAILABLE

Djougourian Law Corporation offers free, no-obligation consultations to all accident victims in Burbank and throughout Los Angeles County. The firm operates on a contingency fee basis for personal injury matters, meaning clients pay no attorney fees unless compensation is recovered. The firm encourages anyone involved in a rideshare accident; whether as a passenger, pedestrian, cyclist, or third-party driver – to contact them promptly.

ABOUT DJOUGOURIAN LAW CORPORATION

Djougourian Law Corporation is a Burbank, California personal injury law firm founded by Attorney Arthur Djougourian. The firm concentrates its practice in rideshare and transportation network company accident litigation, motor vehicle accidents, and insurance bad-faith claims throughout Los Angeles County and the greater Southern California region. The firm is known for its personalized approach and its commitment to ensuring that accident victims, regardless of financial means, have access to experienced legal representation. For more information, visit https://djlawcorp.com or call 818-530-0000.