Rideshare Accident Lawyer in Georgia

Georgia's two-year personal injury statute of limitations under OCGA § 9-3-33 begins on the date of the crash. In a rideshare accident, the first 24 to 72 hours are the most evidence-critical window of the entire case: the TNC's digital log of the driver's period status (Period A or Period B) at the exact moment of the crash determines which insurance tier applies, and that log can be produced — or destroyed — at any time. Under § 33-1-24(h)(4), the TNC must produce the 12-hour log-on/log-off record within 15 days of an insurer request. An attorney triggers that production obligation immediately by sending a preservation demand to the TNC and notifying both the TNC insurer and the driver's personal insurer simultaneously. Delay allows period-status disputes — where the TNC claims the driver was in Period A rather than Period B — to harden into contested facts without contemporaneous log evidence.

Georgia's TWO-period TNC structure under O.C.G.A. § 33-1-24 is critical to understand: once a driver accepts a ride, the full Period B $1,000,000 per occurrence liability and $100,000/$300,000/$25,000 UM/UIM stack under § 33-7-11 attach and remain in force all the way through completion of the transaction — en route to pickup AND passenger aboard are the same coverage period. This is different from most states' three-period framework. If the crash occurred after the driver accepted a ride but before the passenger was physically in the vehicle, Period B still applies. Insurers sometimes argue that a crash between acceptance and pickup falls outside "active ride" coverage — that argument is incorrect under Georgia's statute, and an attorney versed in § 33-1-24 can defeat it with the driver's period log and the statutory text.

Georgia's § 33-1-24(i) first-dollar primary coverage rule is one of the strongest in the country: the TNC's policy is primary during Period B, coverage is not dependent on the personal insurer first denying the claim, and the TNC must notify the driver and the driver's personal insurer of any primary coverage dispute within 25 business days. This provision eliminates the coverage gap that injured parties in other states experience when the TNC and personal insurer dispute who pays first — in Georgia, the TNC pays first, period. An attorney sends notice to both insurers simultaneously and invokes § 33-1-24(i) in the initial demand to prevent the coverage-dispute delay tactic.

Georgia's background check requirements under O.C.G.A. § 40-1-193(c) disqualify drivers who are under 21, who have a DUI conviction within seven years, who have a suspended or revoked license, or who have certain disqualifying criminal convictions. If an injured passenger learns that the Uber or Lyft driver had a prior DUI within seven years or a disqualifying criminal record, the TNC may have liability for negligent onboarding — allowing a statutorily disqualified driver onto the platform. The TNC enrollment list under § 40-1-193(b) is not a public record, but it is discoverable by subpoena in litigation. An attorney issues a subpoena for the driver's TNC enrollment record and background check results as part of the initial discovery package, establishing the negligent onboarding theory before the defense has time to prepare its narrative.