A Lyft driver was in a crash on the job. Now he's struggling to provide — and fighting insurance.

Osahon Aburime, a former Lyft driver, was injured in a car accident.

Osahon Aburime A Lyft driver in North Carolina was involved in an accident while en route to pick up a passenger.

Sixteen months later, he's still fighting for an insurance payout.

He said that accident has also made it harder to support his family.

Osahon Aburime opened his Lyft app on Mother's Day last year to make some money.

That day, the North Carolina driver had made about $80 to put toward taking his wife out to dinner and getting a gift for his mom.

As he was on his way to pick up a passenger, though, he got into a car accident.

"All of a sudden, I just saw this car in front of me, so I stepped on my brakes," he said.

"We just ran into each other." Sixteen months later, he uses a cane to walk, he said.

He tried unsuccessfully to return to work as a ride-hailing driver.

"I said, 'Let me see if I can continue to drive to make money for my family,'" he said.

"But it just got to a point now I can't even bend down." Aburime's experience shows one occupational hazard of working as a driver for a gig-work platform like Lyft or Uber.

While the apps say they provide insurance coverage, the independent contractors doing the work often have fewer protections than traditional full-time employees.

"Safety is fundamental to Lyft and it is our goal to make every ride safe, comfortable and reliable," a Lyft spokesperson said.