Whether you are cruising down to Pasadena for a meeting or grabbing coffee in Long Beach, Lyft probably has a driver waiting nearby, ready to take a road trip.
The trouble is that those legions of Lyft cars can all hit the streets and highways at the same time. The same time as all of the other Los Angeles drivers. There are enough rideshare and delivery drivers to create traffic jams all on their own. And when you consider how distracting their jobs are, you can wonder just how safe their driving can be.
If you end up the victim of an accident caused by a Lyft driver, or you’re a driver for Lyft and looking for help after an injury, contact a rideshare accident lawyer in Los Angeles. You might think your case is clear cut, but you might change your mind when you face off against the team of lawyers working for Lyft. They can talk you out of your fair compensation in a single phone call and leave you to pay for your own hospital bills in an accident that wasn’t your fault. Tell our attorneys what happened so that we can work on getting you what you’ll need to recover.
Lyft’s Insurance Coverage in a Los Angeles Accident
So far, Lyft has gotten away with designating their drivers as contract workers. This means their employees can bear the burden in a car accident, even as they collect huge profits for Lyft.
If you are hurt in an accident involving a Lyft car, you’ll have to first file for help with the driver’s personal auto insurance company. This will likely go nowhere because insurance agents don’t like covering their members when they are on-the-clock on a rideshare job.
If this claim is unsuccessful, Lyft does have it’s own insurance policy you can hope to file against. This only works in certain phases of a driver’s shift. If the employee was on the way to pick up a customer, or already had the passenger in the car at the time of the crash, then Lyft offers up to a million dollars in coverage for victims. If a driver doesn’t have a customer at the time of the accident but is logged into the app and on-the-clock, Lyft’s coverage can total 100,000 dollars.
These figures sound nice, but it can be a bit more complex getting Lyft to do the right thing and back their employees and their victims during a long and painful recovery from injuries. An attorney can help build a strong case for victims and push Lyft on their hiring and safety records.
What to do After a Lyft Car Crash in L.A.
An attorney can help you collect evidence and gather vital documents in the days after an accident, but the truth is there may be important evidence lost forever once you leave an accident scene. It’s important to start gathering details right after a collision with a Lyft Vehicle or if you’re in a Lyft car and hurt in an accident.
This shouldn’t be attempted if your injuries won’t allow it, but if you are able or someone else can help you, begin documenting as much as you can:
- Call for help. Contact 911 and get paramedics to check out all of your pain. Make sure investigators know the driver works for Lyft. If you spotted the driver using a cellphone before the crash, report it.
- Take video and photos with your phone. Capture images of the damage to vehicles and any injuries on your body that are visible. Take pictures of the Lyft signs on the car. Document street signs and traffic patterns that tell the story of how your crash occurred.
- Talk to witnesses. Find out how to contact them. If they’re willing to write down what they saw make sure they sign and date the document. A passenger in a Lyft car may also be a good witness.
- Exchange information with the Lyft driver, but not statements. Don’t make any statements about your damage or injuries. These comments can be used against you later. Get the Lyft employee’s worker identification number.
- See your doctor. Get injuries documented and get any new pain checked.
Contact a Lyft Rideshare Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one sustained a serious injury and the crash involved a Lyft vehicle, contact us today for a free, confidential consultation and case evaluation. After you tell us what happened, we will go over all of your legal options.
Whether you were hit by a rideshare driver, injured as a rideshare passenger, or hurt as an Uber driver, call us today. Our goal is to help you get the maximum amount of compensation available to you for your injuries.
