If you’re on your way to work in Lodi, or to class, or need a safe ride to a winery, Lyft may be the first app you tap for a lift. Rideshare companies flood the roads with willing drivers. And while it’s great for passengers, if you’re using Lodi streets and highways in your own vehicle, you might feel a bit at risk as you watch Lyft employees rush around.
Lyft drivers do a lot from behind the wheel and all that distraction can lead to major accidents. You may be traveling along watching out for others, but a careless Lyft driver could come out of nowhere to strike your vehicle.
What happens when you need injury coverage and help with your medical bills? Will Lyft lend any help to its victims at all? It’s best not to leave that question to chance. Contact a Lodi rideshare accident lawyer for a free evaluation of your case to find out just what support is available to you as you heal. Let our attorneys make sure Lyft and its drivers are held accountable.
Lyft Driver Distraction Risks In Lodi
Whether it’s the beginning of your shift or you’re starting a day-long wine tour, you, of course, want to arrive safe and sound at your destination. Local traffic can be challenging but added pressure from rideshare drivers can make safe driving a difficult task.
Lyft drivers get beeps from their phones all day long, drawing their eyes away from the lanes. They can also be pressured into reckless driving. They may speed to try to get passengers to their hotels quickly. They may jump a traffic light in an effort to reach a ride request. If you’re in a vehicle nearby, or walking or biking, these actions can put you at risk.
To show everyday drivers and rideshare employees the dangers of distraction, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) decided to put some labels on common distracted driving issues. They got together with traffic safety officials to figure out the most common ways any driver can get distracted:
- Visual Distractions – When the driver’s eyes are on something other than the road or mirrors. Without a doubt, the biggest culprit is the cellphone. Lyft drivers can’t function without one. The Lyft app alerts them to new ride requests and helps guide them to someone’s location. It’s all automated but that doesn’t mean drivers aren’t looking at screens for long stretches.
- Manual Distractions – When motorists take their hands from the wheel. Taking a lunch break while driving or fumbling with a phone. Smoking can be another manual hazard. That loss of control can come at the wrong moment and send the vehicle into a collision.
- Cognitive Distractions – This is when the mind is preoccupied with something other than driving. Daydreaming can steal our attention from the road. A conversation with a passenger can provide an immediate distraction. An argument with a passenger can lead to anxiety and distraction later in the day as the conversation gets played over and over in the driver’s head.
These basic categories of distraction can always be combined for even greater risk. Lyft drivers can allow several types of distraction to cloud their judgment and lead to dangerous situations on Lodi streets.
Insurance Coverage After an Accident with a Lyft Car
Rideshares, or transportation network companies (TNCs), do their best to buffer themselves from liability in the accidents that their business model can cause. One way TNCs do this is by keeping their drivers designated as contract workers.
After an accident, you’ll first be required to petition the driver’s personal car insurance policy to get help paying for injury recovery. If the driver’s insurance provider refuses to cover the accident or doesn’t provide enough compensation to cover your bills, you can then direct a claim at Lyft.
Lyft carries up to a one-million-dollar insurance policy, but it’s only in play if the driver was logged into the Lyft app at the time of the collision. Lyft can also use its corporate legal team to try to weaken your claim to compensation. They can question the severity of your injuries or even try to shift blame for the accident to you, despite what a police report says.
What kind of things can I get compensation for after a Lyft accident?
Support for your injury should be available immediately when one of Lyft’s employees causes a crash, but sadly it’s often necessary to fight for what’s only fair.
Getting your civil claim for damages right the first time can make all the difference in the worries you have while you recover. You can receive only enough money from Lyft to pay for the first few days of treatment. Thankfully, an attorney can work for you to make sure you have enough money for every loss you’ve experienced in recovery and have enough for any injury flare-up in the months to come.
An attorney can ask Lyft and its insurance company for money for many factors, even things you may not have thought of:
- Medical expenses and any care expected in the future.
- Physical pain and suffering.
- Past and future permanent physical disability with coverage for medical equipment and training for a new career if necessary.
- Past and future lost wages at work.
- Emotional distress, such as depression and anxiety.
- Loss of enjoyment of life.
- Damage or destruction of property.
Contact a Rideshare Accident Lawyer in Lodi
If you or a loved one sustained a serious injury and the crash involved a Lyft vehicle, contact us today for a no-obligation case evaluation that comes at no cost to you. Tell us what happened and we go over all of your legal options.
Whether you were hit by a Lyft driver or injured as a passenger, call us today. You may also have been a Lyft driver who was injured and you are now finding that your employer isn’t stepping up to support you. Our goal is to help you get the maximum amount of compensation available to you for your injuries.
