When a Rideshare Driver Refuses to Exchange Info After an Accident

You climbed out of an Uber on Westheimer Road near Montrose after a crash, and the rideshare driver refused to give you their name or insurance info, then they drove off and left you there. Now, you are standing on the curb, wondering how you can possibly file a claim against someone you cannot even identify.

Fortunately, Texas law is already on your side, and you have options.

Texas Law Requires Drivers to Exchange Info

A rideshare driver who refuses to give you their information is not just being difficult; they’re breaking state law. Texas Transportation Code § 550.023 requires every driver in a crash to provide their name, address, vehicle registration number, and the name of their motor vehicle liability insurer.

That responsibility does not change for Uber or Lyft drivers. They follow the same traffic laws as everyone else on the road. If a driver refuses to exchange info after a crash, it doesn’t hurt your claim. Their refusal only creates problems for them; it does not prevent you from recovering compensation.

When a crash causes injury, death, or damage that leaves a vehicle inoperable, Texas Transportation Code § 550.026 requires drivers to notify the police right away. That responsibility falls on the rideshare driver, whether they cooperate with you or not.

Use the App to Identify the Driver

If you were a passenger in a rideshare crash, your phone is the quickest way to verify the driver’s identity. Before you close the app, take a screenshot of the active trip screen, which shows the driver’s name, their vehicle’s make and model, their license plate, and their rating. This info can vanish once the trip is marked complete, so capture it right away.

If you already closed the app, do not panic. The trip history in both the Uber and Lyft apps stores the date, time, route, and driver profile for every ride you took. You can usually pull that up within 24 to 48 hours, even if you forgot to take a screenshot at the scene.

If You’re a Pedestrian or Driver Hit by a Rideshare Vehicle

What if you were not the passenger? If you were another driver or pedestrian on the road, you can still discover the rideshare driver’s identity by writing down their license plate at the scene. A plate plus a timestamp of the crash is enough to identify the vehicle later by connecting the vehicle to a specific trip and driver through legal records.

If it takes you a few days or weeks to get this info, don’t panic, as these records do not disappear quickly. The licensing rules tied to Texas Occupations Code Chapter 2402 and state regulations legally require Uber and Lyft to keep individual ride records for years.

So, gather everything you can see right after the crash. Photograph the vehicle, the license plate, any in-app notifications, and the trip route on the map.

Call 911 & File a Police Report

When the driver refuses to share info, calling 911 from the scene is your strongest move. It triggers an official investigation, and the responding officer can run the license plate of the rideshare vehicle, pull the vehicle registration, and compel the driver to exchange info.

The police report is the backbone of your claim. It creates a sworn, timestamped record of the crash, including the driver’s identity, vehicle information, and any witness accounts. Once the police are involved, it doesn’t matter if the driver refuses to share info, as insurers look to the police report to determine the facts of the crash.

Calling the police ensures that you are legally covered even if the other driver refused to cooperate, as the police report satisfies the police notification responsibility under Texas Transportation Code § 550.026. Get a copy of the police report even if your injuries seem minor. Insurers and attorneys use the police report number to pull legal records.

If the driver fled the scene, police officers can open a hit-and-run investigation. This case is built from witness statements, nearby surveillance footage, and the app records you saved.

Reporting the Crash Through the Rideshare App

File a crash report in the app to put the company on formal notice. Both Uber and Lyft offer in-app crash reporting tools, and filing one obligates the platform to assign an incident team to your claim.

Texas Insurance Code Chapter 1954 requires rideshare companies to carry contingent liability coverage while the app is on and a ride is in progress. If the rideshare driver refuses to give you their policy information, the rideshare company’s coverage becomes the policy that responds to your claim.

The coverage that applies depends on what the driver was doing at the moment of the crash. If the app was off, only the driver’s personal policy applies. If the app was on but no ride was accepted, the company’s contingent coverage kicks in. If the ride was in progress, the company’s primary coverage applies at even higher limits. Our breakdown of rideshare insurance coverage periods shows how each coverage period works in detail.

If the driver refuses to say which period applied at the time of the crash, the platform’s incident team can confirm the trip status from their own records. You do not need the driver’s cooperation to learn which period applies.

When to Get an Attorney Involved

Bring in an attorney when the police and the platform report still cannot identify the rideshare driver, or the insurer is stalling for time. In this case, an attorney will issue a subpoena to Uber or Lyft for the driver’s name, insurance details, and trip records, and the company must comply with the law.

An attorney can also request licensing and compliance records from the state agency that regulates rideshare operations. These official records can confirm the driver’s status and which coverage was in effect at the time of the crash.

Texas law enforces a two-year deadline from the date of the crash. Evidence like surveillance footage and electronic trip logs can be overwritten long before then, so taking legal action early keeps your options open.

Finally, rideshare crashes often involve more than one responsible party. The driver, the company, and even the owner of the vehicle (if different from the driver) can all share fault. An experienced attorney can identify every party in the crash, even if the rideshare driver refuses to cooperate.

Talk to an Attorney About Your Rideshare Accident in Texas

A driver who refuses to cooperate can make you feel like your case is over before it even begins. Rest assured, you have options. Angel Reyes & Associates has spent over 30 years helping injured Texans pursue rideshare claims, including cases where the driver refused to cooperate or fled the scene.

We work on a contingency basis, which means you pay no fee unless we win. We have recovered more than $1 billion for clients across Texas.

If a rideshare driver left you in the dust, reach out to us for a free consultation to discuss your options before time runs out.

Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.