Euless Lyft Accident Lawyers
Supporting Rideshare Accident Victims
Lyft is a useful service that has, along with other ridesharing apps, done quite a lot to revolutionize the world of transportation. But the innovation of this sort tends to come with some problems that need to be addressed. For example, it can be much more difficult to determine who is liable following a Lyft accident than it would be following an accident with a taxi.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a Lyft accident, then you’re going to want to find answers. Hopefully, the unique circumstances of your accident will make it easy to get those answers. Unfortunately, this is often not the case. Working with The Wolf of Law Street is one way that you can make it easier to get the information you need, build a case against those that hurt you, and battle for the compensation that is warranted.
What Should I Do If I’m Involved in an Accident With a Lyft Driver?
It’s as easy as pressing a button on your phone to get a Lyft. But if you get in an accident in a Lyft, then it’s going to be quite a bit more complicated to figure out exactly what can be done to seek compensation for your damages.
The first thing that you should do following an accident with a Lyft driver is to seek medical assistance. There is often not much that can be done to recover damages in cases where there are no injuries, and the best way to prove an injury was directly caused by an accident is to seek medical attention immediately. This creates a record of you seeking medical attention, as well as a record of the injury itself, so this trip to the hospital results not only in medical support but a solid piece of evidence for your case.
Next is the difficult process of determining who is at fault. This is going to go a long way towards determining what steps you should take next. If you were at fault for the accident, then you won’t have any grounds on which to pursue legal action, but you may be liable for the damages that were caused.
If the Lyft driver was responsible for the accident, then the next step will largely depend on whether or not they were in the middle of a job, waiting for a job, or were just driving their vehicle without any connection to the app. For example, as a passenger of a Lyft, you would be able to rely on the company’s insurance policy should you get in an accident, but if you were struck by a Lyft driver who is on their way home after finishing working, then you will most likely have to rely on the driver’s personal insurance for compensation.
What Insurance Coverage Does Lyft Offer?
As a ridesharing company, Lyft understands that it needs to offer some type of coverage. Otherwise, it would quickly find itself broken from all the times it was held liable in court. Thankfully, though, the coverage offered is fairly decent, and so many injuries will come in under the maximum coverage.
If you are a passenger in a Lyft, then you are going to be covered for up to $1 million in bodily injuries. This is through the company’s insurance rather than through the individual driver’s. Keep in mind, however, that this is dependent upon the Lyft driver being the one at fault.
If your Lyft driver is not at fault, then it will be the responsibility of the at-fault driver’s insurance to cover your damages. However, in many cases, this won’t cover enough, especially if the driver only has the minimum required insurance. Lyft happens to also provide underinsured motorist coverage of up to $1 million as well. This means that if the other driver’s insurance isn’t enough to cover your medical costs, Lyft will pitch in to help cover the difference.
When a Lyft driver crashes into you while you are driving your own car, then the insurance is a little different. There’s $50,000 of coverage for bodily injuries per person, up to $100,000 per accident, with an additional $25,000 available for damage to your property. This is assuming that the driver is logged into the Lyft app but not yet with a passenger. If they have a passenger, then they are covered by the $1 million insurance discussed previously.
What Happens If Lyft Claims the App Wasn’t Open?
There have been many documented cases of ridesharing companies trying to weasel their way out of covering people based on the rules that they themselves have clearly stated. This is done most often when an individual has accepted a ride request and then gets into an accident.
What happens is in this situation, it is easier for the company to claim that the driver hadn’t accepted a ride and was therefore only eligible for the minimum amount of insurance as discussed above. Yet, in this situation, a driver is supposed to have access to the $1 million coverage. They can’t use this deceitful tactic when a passenger is in the car already, but they can try it when it’s just them against a driver.
That’s why it’s important to take a screenshot whenever you accept a request. A screenshot would provide concrete data about exactly when the ride was accepted and therefore prove that you already had accepted it prior to any accident you got into on the way to the customer.
Do I Need a Lyft Accident Lawyer?
A Lyft accident lawyer can help you by listening to the details of your situation to find the areas where we can strengthen your case using rhetoric and evidence. Evidence like police reports, video surveillance, witness testimony, and more.
The Wolf of Law Street is always ready to take on Lyft or any other ridesharing company that thinks it’s okay to mistreat or trick people. If you have suffered a Lyft accident, contact The Wolf of Law Street by calling (972) 573-4532 to learn more about how one of our dedicated attorneys can help.