Los Angeles Lyft Accident Attorney
Request Free ConsultationAfter an accident with a Lyft driver, victims need help from attorneys who understand the complications of California law as it relates to ride-sharing. Whether you were a passenger during the accident or a Lyft driver struck your own vehicle, negligence on the part of ride-share drivers shouldn’t cause you to suffer. Discuss your personal injury case with the team at Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP to discover if Lyft owes you compensation for your injuries after a motor vehicle accident.
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Why Hire Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP for Your Lyft Accident In Los Angeles?
- Our Los Angeles injury attorneys have over twenty years of experience successfully protecting the rights of injury victims and their families.
- We have secured billions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for our clients and are committed to helping you recover maximum compensation for your damages.
- Our Los Angeles car and truck accident attorneys are available 24/7 to take your call and help you when you need us most.
- We will consult with you free of charge to listen to your story, answer your questions, and explain your rights.
- We handle your Lyft accident claim on a contingency fee basis, so you pay us nothing until we have secured compensation for you.
Schedule a free consultation today and see for yourself why Los Angeles Lyft accident victims choose Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP to handle their claims.
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Common Los Angeles Lyft Accident Injuries
Like other vehicle accidents, Lyft accidents result in various types of injuries. Some of the most common California Lyft accident injuries include:
- Broken bones.
- Back and neck injuries, including whiplash and other soft tissue trauma.
- Spinal cord damage, including paralysis.
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).
- Burns.
- Scarring and disfigurement.
- Severed limbs or severely damaged limbs that result in amputation.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Internal bleeding and organ damage.
- Facial and dental trauma.
- Lacerations, sprains, strains, and bruises.
Even if you do not believe your injuries are severe, you should have an immediate medical evaluation. Some fatal or debilitating injuries are not immediately apparent. Seeking medical attention after an accident can protect your health and your right to recover full and fair compensation for your damages.
What to Do After a Lyft Accident in Los Angeles?
After any California car accident, move your car to a safe area – if possible. Then call the police to make a report of the incident. Check for any medical issues for yourself, passengers, or anyone else involved with the accident. If you feel okay, be sure to schedule an appointment with a physician as soon after the incident as possible to ensure there aren’t any latent injuries. If you discover that your injuries are significant, you may be due compensation for the damages incurred during the accident.
When you get into an accident in a Lyft ride, Lyft’s “Trust and Safety Team” will contact you shortly after to open an accident report. Be aware that their main goal is to limit the amount they pay for your injuries, and anything you say to Lyft representatives could impact your future claim. To ensure fair compensation, consult with a Los Angeles ride-sharing accident lawyer before you agree to any terms.
Who is Liable in a Car Accident with a Lyft Driver In Los Angeles?
If you have been involved in an accident with a Lyft driver, the lawsuit does not immediately go to the company. There is the matter of determining who was liable – the driver or the company. The company considers drivers to be independent contractors, so the rideshare service is not automatically liable for any accidents, and determining who is responsible for compensation can be confusing.
In many states, including California, liability depends largely on whether the driver was logged into the rideshare app. From a technical perspective, the driver is liable if they were involved in an accident while not logged into the app. In California, rideshare drivers must have personal insurance policies with liability and uninsured motorist coverage of at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident.
If the accident occurs when the driver is logged into the app but has not accepted a ride, the company will assume only a certain amount of liability coverage. Lyft has policies of $50,000 for injuries, $25,000 for property, and $100,000 total. They will only pay the amount that the driver’s personal insurance does not cover.
Who Is Liable If Your Lyft Driver Gets in a Car Accident?
If the driver is on their way to pick up someone or has a passenger in the car, Lyft claims liability. They have both liability coverage and uninsured motorist coverage, each of which amounts to one million dollars. This protects you as a passenger if you are riding a Lyft and your driver gets into an accident that causes you injuries.
In California, the lawsuit shifts slightly if you were a passenger and the Lyft driver was not the one at fault. You would file a lawsuit against the at-fault driver before going directly to Lyft.
Lyft is likely to do everything it can to avoid paying for liability insurance in the event of an accident. They tend to aggressively contest claims, shifting liability to the driver to avoid big payouts. They see their companies as a way to organize rides, removing them from responsibility for the rides themselves.
What Damages Can You Recover in a Lyft Accident in Los Angeles?
The type and amount of damages you can recover in a Lyft accident in Los Angeles depend on numerous factors, including the severity of your injuries, the strength of your case, and the insurance coverage or other assets available to pay your damages.
In a successful Los Angeles Lyft accident claim, you may be able to recover economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages include current and future medical expenses, current and future lost wages, property damage, and other financial losses incurred due to your accident and injuries.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages include pain and suffering, emotional and mental distress, loss of consortium, loss of enjoyment of life, scarring and disfigurement, and other intangible losses incurred because of your Lyft accident.
Our Los Angeles Lyft accident attorneys often consult with medical and economic experts to help establish and accurately value all current and future economic and non-economic damages, so you understand what a fair settlement of your claim would be, and to secure maximum compensation for you as quickly as possible.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are rarely awarded in California. As outlined in California Civil Code §3294, they are only available when you can prove by clear and convincing evidence that a defendant’s actions included malice, oppression, or fraud. However, in accidents involving reckless, aggressive, or drunk driving, punitive damages may be appropriate.
At Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP, our Lyft accident attorneys work diligently to recover all available damages and to maximize your compensation.
How Are Lyft Accidents Different From Car Accidents In Los Angeles?
Lyft accidents are similar to other car accidents in numerous ways. However, there are essential differences between rideshare accident claims and typical car accident claims.
First, Lyft accidents usually involve more complicated insurance negotiations. California is a fault-based insurance state, meaning that the party at fault in an accident is responsible for paying damages sustained in the accident. In most car accidents, you will negotiate with the at-fault driver’s insurance company, which is clearly on the hook for paying damages up to the policy limits.
However, in a Lyft accident, insurance coverage is not so clear-cut. If the driver was not logged into the Lyft app at the time of the accident, their personal car insurance coverage will apply. If the driver was logged into the app but had not accepted a ride at the time of the accident, Lyft insurance coverage may apply, but at a limited amount. Full Lyft insurance coverage only applies if the driver was logged into the app and had accepted a ride request.
The time of the accident becomes critical when negotiating your settlement and is often heavily disputed. You need the assistance of an experienced Los Angeles Lyft accident attorney to help protect your rights and secure the full compensation you are owed.
Additionally, Lyft accidents often involve numerous parties, insurance companies, and attorneys all working to avoid liability and shift blame. Parties bearing responsibility for the accident could include the Lyft driver, Lyft, maintenance and repair businesses, car manufacturers, passengers, other drivers, and government entities.
At Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP, our Los Angeles Lyft accident attorneys carefully investigate your accident to help identify all possible causes and liable parties. We work diligently to uncover the evidence needed to build your strongest case and hold the at-fault parties responsible for paying your damages.
Should You Accept A Settlement?
Another critical difference is that there is a potential for much higher settlements in Lyft accidents than in most other car accident claims. When Lyft insurance coverage applies, the limits are usually much greater than those carried by typical drivers. Insurance companies may fight your claim much more vigorously because so much more is at stake financially for the company.
The insurance company’s goal is to settle your claim for as little as possible. When high coverage limits are on the line, insurance companies may resort to more unfair tactics to avoid liability. You need the assistance of an experienced Los Angeles Lyft accident attorney who knows how to combat these unfair tactics and can negotiate a fair settlement of your claim as quickly as possible.
How Does Lyft Handle Rideshare Accidents?
Lyft asks all customers to report accidents through the Lyft App Help Center, which will put you in touch with their support team. Once your accident is reported, Lyft will begin an investigation to determine whether its insurance covers you and whether you are eligible for compensation.
If Lyft finds that its insurance covers you, you will likely receive a settlement offer from its insurance company. The settlement offer will depend on your damages and at what stage of a Lyft ride your accident happened. However, like all insurance companies, Lyft’s insurance company will work hard to settle your claim for as little as possible. They may even use sneaky tactics to shift blame to you and to avoid paying the full value of your claim.
Lyft and California state law require drivers to carry minimum liability coverage, which will apply if Lyft insurance coverage does not apply. As outlined by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, the minimum liability insurance requirements are:
- $30,000 for injury or death to one person.
- $60,000 for injury or death to more than one person per accident.
- $15,000 for property damage.
If Lyft insurance coverage applies, the amount of coverage depends on whether the driver was waiting for a ride request or had already accepted a ride request. Because the amount of coverage is significantly greater if the driver had accepted a ride request, the timing of the accident is often heavily disputed.
If the Lyft app is off, Lyft provides no insurance coverage. If the app is on and the driver is receiving rides, Lyft coverage applies in the following amounts:
- $50,000 per person for bodily injury.
- $100,000 per accident for bodily injury.
- $25,000 for property damage.
If the Lyft app is on and the driver is in the process of picking up a passenger or is driving with a passenger, Lyft provides coverage of $1,000,000 in most situations.
An experienced Los Angeles Lyft accident attorney knows how to investigate the accident to prove when it occurred and what level of insurance coverage applies to your claim. At Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP, our attorneys can help you secure maximum compensation for your Lyft accident damages.
Statute of Limitations on Lyft Accidents in California
A statute of limitations is the law that establishes a filing deadline to recover compensation for damages in a personal injury claim. If you miss your filing deadline, you will be unable to secure compensation.
The California statute of limitations for most personal injury claims, including Lyft accident claims, is two years from the date of the accident. If your loved one dies in a Lyft accident, you may be entitled to file a wrongful death claim to recover compensation for your damages. A wrongful death claim also has a two-year statute of limitations. However, it begins to run from the date of death, which may not be the same as the date of the accident.
However, there are exceptions to the two-year filing deadline. In some cases, you may have a much shorter filing deadline, and in rare cases, the filing deadline may be extended. You should immediately consult an experienced Los Angeles Lyft accident attorney to determine your filing deadline.
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Legal Help After an Accident with a Lyft Driver
The laws surrounding ride-sharing accidents are still in their infancy, but the Los Angeles car accident attorney team at Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP isn’t new to these incidents. Our team has been paying attention to how the courts are treating these cases. Our up-to-date knowledge gives victims in Lyft car collisions the best chance at fair compensation for lost time at work, medical bills, and other financial losses they suffer as a result of a car accident.
Speak with one of our attorneys today in Los Angeles for a free consultation. (310) 477-1700