Motorists and pedestrians in Antioch may have noticed how often they encounter a rideshare vehicle rushing up and down local roads. Drivers for companies like Lyft tend to be some of the most distracted people on the roads as they swipe from customer to customer.
This inattention to others on the street ends up causing serious accidents every year. Rideshare drivers and Lyft should be stepping up to help victims, but if you are injured by a Lyft vehicle, you might be waiting months to get support. You could even be left to pay for 100% of your own recovery.
Once you’ve been struck by a Lyft driver or if you were hurt while a passenger in a Lyft car, reach out to our local Rideshare Accident Lawyers to tell us what happened. It’s a free consultation and that first chat could end up protecting you from becoming a victim a second time as Lyft tries to avoid all blame.
Lyft Distracted Driver Dangers in Antioch
Antioch is one of the oldest cities in California and it offers plenty of interesting destinations, new and old, for commuters, weekenders, students, and families. You may be heading into the East Bay to start an early shift or you could be enjoying a day off along the San Joaquin River.
Lyft may be providing your ride or you could be driving along Route 4 when you notice a driver drifting from lane to lane, speeding, or slamming the brakes trying to make a missed turn-off. Rideshare drivers battle distraction throughout their day especially since they depend on a cellphone for 50% or more of their jobs.
Cellphone use while behind the wheel is a proven danger for everyone. California’s Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) warns that taking your eyes off the road for even five seconds while going 55 mph is like driving the length of a football field with your eyes covered.
Sadly, rideshare drivers often have little choice but to break California Law and engage with their cellphones to complete their daily tasks. These are just a few of the risks cellphones provide for Lyft drivers:
- Notification Distraction: Constant chimes can pull a Lyft driver’s attention to a cellphone screen. It’s good for business, but it can lead to a bad day for a pedestrian, bicyclist, or another motorist. Especially when the Lyft employee loses focus on the road for five seconds, ten seconds, or more. They can easily miss a traffic light, stop sign or just lose control and end up on someone else’s bumper.
- Working for Other Rideshares: Imagine these notification distractions doubled. Drivers often work for both Lyft and Uber to multiply their chances of making money. There are even apps that help employees switch back and forth between rideshares. It’s all additional time not paying attention to the road.
- GPS Location: Once a ride request is accepted the search is on for their location. GPS assistance from a phone is helpful, but if drivers are not familiar with where they’re headed those instructions can leave them veering in and out of lanes, not paying attention to traffic lights as they search. Sometimes you may see an unfocused Lyft driver in time to avoid a crash. Sometimes you never see that driver until it’s too late.
- Passenger Distraction: Customers can change their pick-up location, cancel their ride, or message a driver. It’s all an invitation for a Lyft employee to stare at a screen.
Lyft Insurance Coverage in a Collision
Lyft has an extensive insurance policy but it only covers victims in certain situations. Before you’ll call upon Lyft, you are first required to file a claim against the Lyft driver’s own insurance provider. If that claim is unsuccessful, then you can call upon Lyft coverage. Lyft will only cover their drivers when accidents happen while they are logged into the Lyft app and working.
It’s possible that both claims will end up unsuccessful and you’ll be stuck filing a claim against your personal car insurance policy’s uninsured/underinsured accident coverage.
Do I need a rideshare lawyer after an accident involving Lyft?
In these complex cases, you can end up facing off against three different insurance companies. Insurance agents get paid to try to get you to accept as little as possible for your injury. This is even the goal when you’re dealing with your car insurance company.
An experienced attorney can level the playing field when big insurance companies try their tricks to limit your compensation. They may only offer you enough to cover your first emergency room visit when you’ve got another week in the hospital to pay for. An attorney won’t let you accept less than what you need in compensation.
Lyft will also have corporate-level lawyers on staff to poke holes in your injury report and accident account all to save their company money. If they can twist your words to make it look like you were partially at fault for a collision, they can sometimes get out of paying you anything at all. A legal representative can spot these bad faith practices and call them on it.
Contact A Lyft Accident Lawyer in Antioch
A representative from Lyft may call you after an accident seeking a recorded statement. Make sure you talk to a rideshare lawyer before offering any statement. These comments can be used to weaken your case later.
If you or a loved one sustained a serious injury and the crash involved a Lyft vehicle, contact us today for a free, confidential case evaluation. After you tell us what happened, we will let you know all of your legal options, including the options that Lyft won’t tell you about.