If you suffered injury in an accident involving a Lyft car—as a Lyft passenger, an occupant of another vehicle, a pedestrian, or a bicyclist—you may receive significant compensation.
Rather than suing Lyft for compensatory damages, however, you will probably file a claim against the party (or parties) at fault for the incident. If the Lyft driver caused the crash, you will probably file your claim against the driver and their insurance provider and not Lyft.
A skilled Lyft accident lawyer in Alpharetta can explain who you can hold accountable after an injury in a Lyft accident and secure the maximum payment possible.
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Potential Liability and Compensation for Lyft Accident Injuries
As the victim of a Lyft accident, you can seek compensation from those at fault and their insurance companies. You can hold multiple parties liable, and you may claim significant monetary damages.
Who Can Be Liable for a Lyft Accident?
You can hold any individual, business, entity, or organization that contributed to a Lyft accident liable for your losses.
Every Lyft crash differs, and the liable parties may include:
- A Lyft driver whose negligence behind the wheel triggered the crash.
- Another driver whose dangerous driving contributed to causing the accident.
- A business that employed a driver who collided with a Lyft car while driving a work vehicle.
- The manufacturer of defective automotive parts that played a role in a driver losing control.
- A local government or road contractor at fault for creating unreasonably dangerous driving conditions.
These are just some examples. But they illustrate how, in any Lyft crash, numerous parties could owe damages to injured victims.
What Compensation Can You Claim?
You can usually claim compensation for the full scope of physical, emotional, and financial harm you suffered in a Lyft accident.
That can include payment for your:
- Medical expenses associated with your past treatment and rehabilitation and any future healthcare needs.
- Lost income and benefits from missing work while healing.
- Loss of future earnings due to a temporary or permanent disability caused by the Lyft accident.
- Damage to your vehicle or other personal property.
- Physical pain from your injuries and medical treatments.
- Emotional distress brought on by the accident or its aftermath.
- Loss of quality or enjoyment of life.
- Scarring, disfigurement, or loss of bodily function.
You may also claim punitive damages, which courts award to punish the wrongdoer and deter others from engaging in similar conduct. If a loved one lost their life in a Lyft accident, you may seek wrongful death compensation that can include payment for your deceased loved one's income, services, financial support, companionship, guidance, and consortium, among other damages.
The compensation recoverable in any given Lyft accident case depends on the unique circumstances and factors like the severity of your injuries, the strength of the claim a lawyer can make on your behalf, the lawyer's skill and record of success in similar cases, and the financial resources the liable parties have to pay your losses. Talk to an experienced Lyft accident lawyer today to learn about the payments you might receive by pursuing legal action.
Is the Lyft Driver Liable?
Although it's possible for anyone to owe damages to victims of Lyft accidents, liability often falls on Lyft drivers because the ridesharing business can create incentives and conditions that lead to drivers engaging in unsafe driving behaviors such as:
- Speeding between drop-offs and pickups to maximize the number of rides completed in a shift.
- Distracted driving caused by paying more attention to the Lyft app or GPS than the road, or by scanning the roadside for a pickup or drop-off location rather than the road ahead.
- Drowsy driving caused by a long shift or driving after hours.
The liability of a Lyft driver will influence how much compensation an injured crash victim receives. Under state law, Lyft drivers must carry not just personal auto insurance, but also a separate supplemental liability insurance policy covering victims of any accident the driver causes while logged in to the Lyft app. This latter insurance policy has much higher coverage limits than an ordinary auto policy:
For accidents the driver causes while logged in and waiting to connect with a ride, coverage is usually at least $100,000 bodily injury liability per accident, $50,000 bodily injury liability per individual victim, and $25,000 property damage liability.
For accidents the driver causes while logged in and connected with a rider (from the moment of connection to the end of the trip), the insurance policy will cover $1 million per accident.
That's significant additional coverage above what the driver's personal auto liability policy would pay a victim. And its potential availability makes it important for victims to hire a lawyer who knows how to investigate the driver's app status as of the moment of the accident. Proving that a driver logged in to the Lyft app when they caused a crash can mean the difference between partial and full compensation for a victim's injuries.
Do You Need to Sue Lyft to Get Compensation?
When you sustain injuries in an accident caused by a Lyft driver, you might think that means you have to sue Lyft, the company. But, that's not usually the case.
The Lyft driver, not Lyft (the company), is the insured party under the personal auto and supplemental liability insurance policies potentially available to pay your damages. You can almost always pursue a claim directly against the driver and those policies (and anyone else who caused the crash).
You probably could not sue Lyft anyway. As the law currently stands, most states regard Lyft drivers as independent contractors, not employees. That legal distinction could make it difficult to hold Lyft, as a company, responsible for accidents its drivers caused. And at the very least, you won’t need to take the fight to the company in most Lyft accident cases. For now, the law makes it far more straightforward and predictable to seek compensation from an at-fault Lyft driver under the insurance covering the driver's liability.
Having said that, the law can always change — which is yet another reason to hire an experienced Lyft accident lawyer who stays abreast of the most current legal issues and always knows the most efficient and effective way to handle your claim.
Frequently Asked Questions
Navigating the aftermath of a Lyft accident claim can seem confusing especially if you're dealing with injuries, medical appointments, and other aspects of recovering from trauma. To offer some guidance and provide clarity, here are some frequently asked questions and answers about Lyft accident claims.
How Much Is My Lyft Accident Claim Worth?
The value of a Lyft accident claim can vary significantly depending on:
- The severity of your injuries.
- The effect of the accident on your ability to work.
- Your future care needs.
- The strength of the case a lawyer can construct on your behalf.
- Your lawyer's level of skill and experience.
- Your lawyer's reputation for getting results.
- The liable parties' financial resources.
- Whether you have a claim under the Lyft supplemental liability insurance.
An experienced Lyft accident lawyer can assess your case and calculate a realistic estimate for your claim.
How Long Will It Take to Receive Compensation?
Many variables influence the timeline There's no guarantee of compensation, so entrust your case to a lawyer who knows how to win Lyft cases in and out of the courtroom.
Assuming your lawyer can get you results, the amount of time it takes can depend on the extent of your injuries, whether the parties disagree about liability or the amount of your damages, and how willing the at-fault party's insurance company and defense lawyer are to engage in good faith settlement negotiations.
No matter what direction your case takes or how long, hiring an experienced Lyft accident lawyer will put it on the fastest possible track to resolution.
Do I Really Need a Lyft Accident Lawyer?
Yes, you do. The only realistic way to secure the maximum available compensation after a Lyft accident is to have an attorney fighting for you every step of the way.
You need someone who can thoroughly investigate the accident, identify the at-fault parties, analyze their insurance coverage, negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf, and take your case to court if necessary. While an attorney handles securing compensation, you can focus your time and energy on healing and getting back to living your life.
Don't worry, hiring a lawyer is affordable. Lyft accident lawyers offer free case consultations to injured crash victims like you. In an in-person or remote meeting, an experienced legal professional can review the facts and offer an initial evaluation of your rights and options. You'll never owe a penny for their time, even if you decide not to pursue legal action.
Any Lyft accident lawyer you hire will also undoubtedly agree to represent you on a contingent fee basis. That means they won't charge you upfront fees or bill you by the hour for their time. Instead, they'll work for you in exchange for a percentage of any money they collect on your behalf. They only get paid, in other words, if they win for you. That way, no matter what your financial circumstances, you can benefit from skilled, experienced legal representation.
Don't Wait to Hire a Lyft Accident Lawyer
The importance of hiring a Lyft accident lawyer after an injury-causing incident cannot be overstated. The sooner you hire an experienced Lyft crash attorney, the stronger your chances of receiving the compensation you need to pay your bills and move forward with your life.
One reason hiring a lawyer soon is so important is that evidence can disappear quickly after an accident and memories can fade. Immediate involvement of an attorney helps to ensure thorough investigation of the accident, timely identification of all potential liable parties, and preservation of the evidence you will need to prove your claim.
Another reason to act quickly is that tight deadlines may apply in your case. Every claim for compensation after a Lyft accident is subject to a statute of limitations, which is the expiration date for your right to take legal action against a liable party.
Some Lyft crash claims involve other deadlines, such as dates by which you must notify a party you intend to hold them liable. Missing any of these deadlines can result in the loss of your rights. Hiring a lawyer as soon as possible helps to ensure that doesn't happen.
Retaining a lawyer early in your case also gives you peace of mind. In addition to pursuing compensation on your behalf, a lawyer can serve as a trusted advisor during a difficult time in your life. Many Lyft accident victims consider the advice and counsel a lawyer gives them to be just as valuable as the money the lawyer secures at the end of their case.
Contact an Experienced Lyft Accident Lawyer Today
You may have the right to claim significant compensation after getting hurt in a Lyft accident, but securing payment isn't easy or automatic. To maximize your chances of success in a Lyft accident claim, contact an experienced Lyft accident lawyer as soon as possible.