The hours and days after a sexual assault in an Uber or Lyft can be overwhelming. You may be injured, in shock or unsure whether anyone will believe you. You may also face a confusing set of choices: report it in the app, call the police, do both or say nothing for now. There is no single right answer for everyone. What helps is understanding what each step does, and which simple actions keep your options open.
None of these choices is a precondition for a civil claim. You do not need a police report or a criminal charge. A civil claim focuses on the rideshare company: what it knew, what it should have known and what it did.
Safety and Medical Care Come First
Before anything else, get to a safe place and get the medical care you need. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. Every other step can wait until you are ready.
Two Small Steps That Preserve the Record
When you are able, two actions make a real difference.
First, leave the rideshare app on your phone and keep your account open, even if seeing it is painful. It may be tempting to wipe every trace of the ride, but your trip history, the emailed receipt and any chat with the driver are the fastest way to pin down exactly which ride, which driver and which car were involved. If looking at the app is too hard right now, you can move it to a folder or another screen rather than deleting it.
Second, take pictures of your screen. The receipt, the name and photo the app displayed for the driver, the plate number it showed you and any messages back and forth are all worth saving. Store copies somewhere outside the app, such as your photo library or an email to yourself, so you have an independent version that does not depend on the company.
What an App Report Does
Reporting through the app sends your complaint to the company's internal safety team. It creates a record that the company received a complaint about that driver. It is not, however, a criminal report, and it does not start a police investigation.
What a Police Report Does
Going to the police begins a criminal investigation. Uber has stated publicly that law enforcement can request trip data through its public safety portal, so investigators have a route to the company's records.
A Recording Feature Some Riders Use
Lyft says its app allows riders to make audio recordings that remain private unless the rider chooses to share them with Lyft's safety team. If you made such a recording, it may become part of the record.
You Can Choose One, Both or Neither
Reporting in the app and reporting to police are separate decisions. You may do either, both or neither. A civil claim does not depend on which path you chose, and neither step is required before talking to a lawyer.
How a Lawyer Protects the Company's Records
The rideshare company holds the full evidentiary picture: the driver's identity, route, timing and earlier complaints about that driver. A lawyer can send the company a request to preserve trip and driver records so they are not lost while you decide how to proceed.
Who a Claim Would Name
Claims are typically brought against the platform rather than only the driver. The theory most often at the center is negligent screening, though several theories usually work together. The Transportation Network Providers Act, 625 ILCS 57, requires background and sex offender registry checks before a driver is approved, and those requirements frame what the company should have done. Because rideshare companies are private, Illinois Tort Immunity rules for public bodies do not apply in the same way.
About Timing
The time you have to bring a claim depends on the facts, including your age at the time and who the defendant is. It is worth having a lawyer review the dates.
Common Questions After a Ride
Should I report it in the app or to the police? That is entirely your choice, and you can do both. The app goes to the company's safety team; police start a criminal investigation and can request trip data.
I already deleted the app. The company still keeps its own records. A lawyer can ask it to preserve them.
I'm calling for a friend. That happens often and puts no obligation on your friend.
Will my name appear publicly? Steps can be taken to protect your identity in court, and we explain them before anything is filed.
When You Are Ready to Talk
You can call just to understand your options. A person answers, and you will not be asked to relive what happened. If you want us to look further, we examine at no cost which company was responsible, what records exist, what it knew and whether a claim can still be brought. We tell you directly what we see, and you decide. If you stop, everything stays confidential. If you continue, we manage filings, deadlines, records and insurers, with protections for your identity available.
Contact Coplan + Crane
The firm's phone, (708) 671-6858, is answered 24 hours a day, every day. Ervin Nevitt, a Coplan + Crane partner, was admitted to practice in Illinois in 2014. The office is located at 60 W Randolph St, Suite 333, Chicago, IL 60601.
Should you need someone to talk to now, RAINN's confidential hotline at 1-800-656-4673 is free and never closes. A hotline call does not affect your legal rights.
Attorney advertising. Please read this as general background rather than legal advice.
