Experienced Los Angeles Lyft Accident Lawyer
If you or a member of your family has been injured in a Lyft accident in California, Haffner Law can assist you. We have extensive experience dealing with rideshare accidents and an impressive track record of success. We understand how to fight back against tech giants such as Lyft and their insurance companies, and we will work tirelessly to secure you the compensation you deserve.
When we meet with you, we will explain your legal rights and investigate all of your legal options. Lyft and its drivers are required to carry liability insurance, but the insurance regulations governing rideshare accidents are complex. We will use our skills and experience to determine whether Lyft, its driver, or a third party is at fault and then hold the responsible party accountable.
Contact us immediately to begin working with our Los Angeles Lyft accident lawyer.
Why Do I Need a Lyft Accident Lawyer in California?
Our Los Angeles Lyft accident lawyer offers numerous advantages in rideshare cases. We fully understand the reasonable worth of your accident claim or lawsuit. This means that we will require negligent parties to pay their proportionate share of a victim’s damages.
Our Lyft accident attorney can uncover hidden value in your case. Our lawyer can help maximize your compensation by locating additional payment sources. In addition, we will handle the complexities of your case so that you can focus on your healing.
Our free case review allows injured parties to receive free answers to their legal questions. Please note that our attorney-client relationship protects all communications between our lawyer and client. This means that we cannot disclose any client information without your consent.
What is the Rideshare Company Lyft?
Lyft is a transportation network company with headquarters in San Francisco. Like Uber, it is available in nearly 100 California cities, including Los Angeles. It utilizes the Lyft mobile application for communication. Users download the application and enter their personal information and a valid payment method, such as a credit card.
Customers request a ride from a Lyft driver who is active and logged into the Lyft system in their area or nearby. Wait time averages about four minutes. Riders are sent photographs of the vehicle and the rideshare driver that will pick them up. You will recognize your Lyft car when it arrives. There is a large pink mustache on the grill of every Lyft-affiliated vehicle.
People in Los Angeles use Lyft to get home from bars, commute to work, or travel to Long Beach, Valencia, and other destinations such as Hollywood. They now take Lyft to many different locations where they previously took taxis.
In California, the question of whether rideshare drivers are independent contractors or employees has been the subject of significant litigation in recent years. If you have been involved in an accident with a Lyft driver, your personal injury lawyer must understand how to navigate the relevant legal issues about agency, vicarious liability, and course and scope of employment.
Do Ridesharing Companies Require Driver Safety Training?
Lyft does not mandate safety training or require special licenses for drivers. In addition to having lax hiring requirements, the ridesharing app does not train its drivers. The driver must only meet the company’s hiring requirements and vehicle specifications to begin transporting passengers.
Lack of training can result in incompetent drivers who are unable to respond appropriately to changing road conditions or hazards. But lack of driver training is not a basis for a claim against Lyft. Being independent contractors, Lyft drivers are self-employed. This means that they are responsible for their training and driving proficiency. Since the company is not an employer, it is not subject to employer liability.
In the event of an accident caused by a driver, Lyft may reject your claim because it is not liable for the driver’s actions or behaviors. You may find yourself embroiled in a legal dispute with a rideshare company attempting to avoid liability. After any accident involving Lyft, it is recommended to contact our personal injury attorney. Consultation with our Los Angeles Lyft accident lawyer can help you fully understand your rights and options going forward.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Lyft Accidents?
Typical Lyft accident scenarios are comparable to those of other motor vehicle accidents, but Lyft drivers are prone to specific accident types. Among the situations that could lead to a Lyft car accident are the following:
- Mobile Phone Use While Driving
- Exhausted Driving
- Driving While Intoxicated
- Speeding
- Tailgating
- Improper Vehicle Maintenance
What Are the Different Catastrophic Injuries Following a Lyft Accident?
Our competent Los Angeles Lyft accident lawyer can assist you in pursuing compensation for the following injuries you may sustain after a traumatic Lyft accident:
- Broken Bones
- Spinal Cord Damage
- Whiplash
- Neck Injury
- Back Injury
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Concussion
- Burns
- Crushing Injury
- Chest Wound
- Amputation Damage
- Soft Tissue Damage
- Eye Injury
- Hearing Impairment
If a family member was killed in a Lyft accident, we could assist you in filing a wrongful death claim to recover damages for your irreparable loss.
What Should I Do If I Was Injured in a California Lyft Accident?
If you are injured in a Lyft auto accident in Los Angeles, you should take certain steps and precautions.
Seek Medical Attention
Even if you do not believe you were seriously injured in the Lyft accident, you should undergo a thorough medical examination. This assessment will serve dual purposes. First, it will ensure that there are no life-threatening injuries that will manifest themselves later. Second, it will provide evidence that could be essential to obtaining compensation for your injuries if you decide to file a claim.
Notify the Police of the Incident
The date, time, conditions, and cause(s) of the accident will be detailed in a police report, which can aid your claim for damages.
Report the Incident to Lyft Through the Mobile App
The ridesharing companies will likely attempt to avoid liability and shift the burden of paying for any damage claims to the driver or a third party. Immediate reporting creates a record of the incident and serves as evidence that the accident occurred while the driver was on the clock.
Do not take any additional action beyond reporting the incident. Do not speak with representatives of the rideshare company before consulting a rideshare accident lawyer.
Consult with a Los Angeles Lyft Accident Lawyer
Before contacting the rideshare company about compensation, consult our personal injury attorney. After an accident, the insurance companies that represent Lyft will attempt to minimize their payouts.
As versed personal injury attorneys, we know how to design, present, and negotiate the terms of a claim with these companies. Engaging the services of our Los Angeles Lyft accident lawyer will ensure that you receive the necessary compensation to recover.
How to Determine Liability in a Lyft Accident?
Liability depends on the status of the Lyft driver at the time of the collision:
- Was the Lyft driver using the application?
- Was the Lyft driver en route to pick up the passenger?
- Was the passenger’s destination reached by the Lyft driver?
When the Lyft app is disabled, the driver’s auto insurance is the primary source of coverage. In California, all rideshare drivers must carry a minimum required liability coverage. When the app is active, but there is no passenger connection, rideshare drivers must carry additional coverage.
Lyft must also provide liability insurance coverage to all passengers. Once a passenger enters a Lyft vehicle, Lyft is required to carry at least the minimum in liability insurance, the primary source of coverage.
This is a complicated insurance scheme, and accidents involving Lyft become more complicated if another driver causes or contributes to the collision. Your claim may involve Lyft’s insurance company, the driver’s insurance company, and other drivers and their insurance companies. If you are unsure how to navigate this process, reach out to our Los Angeles Lyft accident lawyer for legal advice.
How Can I Prove Negligence for My Lyft Car Accident in California?
To win your case, you must prove the at-fault party’s negligence. This means that you must demonstrate that their unreasonable behavior caused your accident. After a collision, proving negligence may require multiple types of evidence:
- Police accident report
- Citations or arrests for speeding, driving under the influence, texting while driving, and other violations
- Lyft app data
- Video and photos of the damage to vehicles and the accident scene
- Dashcam and traffic camera footage
- Witness testimony
- Cellular phone records of a suspected driver distraction
Depending on the accident’s circumstances, we may work with specialists to provide expert testimony. These experts may testify regarding their expert opinion regarding the accident’s cause.
What is the Value of My Lyft Accident Injury Claim?
Numerous variables can affect the value of your personal injury claim following a ridesharing accident. Some examples include:
- How severe are your wounds
- What kinds of injuries you’ve sustained
- Your capacity to work and earn money
- If your income capacity has changed since the accident
- Your present and projected out-of-pocket expenses
- Whether or not you contributed to the collision
Cases involving catastrophic injuries or death are typically the most valuable. However, this does not imply that moderate trauma cases are not worth pursuing. When you’re dealing with painful injuries and unexpected expenses, any amount of money can be helpful.
Consult our Los Angeles personal injury attorney immediately to learn how much your Lyft rideshare accident case may be worth.
How to Recover Compensation Following a Lyft Car Accident in California?
You have the right to compensation if you are injured in a Lyft accident. In the majority of cases, you can recover compensation directly from the ridesharing company’s insurance policy. However, our Los Angeles Lyft accident lawyer will assist you in determining who may be liable for the damages.
In Los Angeles, there are three distinct options for recovering compensation following a Lyft accident.
Recovering Compensation From Lyft Ridesharing Company
California law mandates that Lyft, Uber, and other ridesharing companies operating within the state carry certain insurance to cover damages in the event of an accident during a driver’s working hours.
Insurance policies should cover any accident where a passenger is injured, yet some insurance claims they will not pay for damages caused by their driver’s misconduct. Instead, they direct injured passengers to seek compensation directly from the Lyft driver who is allegedly at fault. But the new provisions of the California Vehicle Code state that mandatory insurance policies are the first line of defense regardless of fault.
Recovering Compensation From the Legally Liable Lyft Driver
In some instances, a passenger’s injuries may exceed the coverage limits of the ridesharing company’s insurance policy. In cases like this, if the Lyft driver is found to be at least partially at fault for the accident, then his or her personal auto insurance policy can be used to cover the remaining damages.
Recovering Compensation From the Legally Liable Third Party
If a passenger’s injuries are so severe that the costs of treatment exceed the ridesharing company’s insurance policy limits, the injured passenger can seek additional compensation. If a third party is found to be at least partially responsible for the collision, the injured passenger may seek compensation from his or her auto insurance policy.
If you are injured as a Lyft passenger, you will be able to recover compensation for your injuries from different at-fault parties. Insurance companies are notorious for denying and underpaying claims in the hope that an injured passenger will be unaware of the full amount to which he or she may be entitled or will be grateful to recover anything. Retaining the services of our Los Angeles Lyft accident lawyer will help to maximize your recovery.
What Are the Different Damages Recoverable in Lyft Accidents?
If you have been injured due to someone else’s negligence, you may file a personal injury lawsuit to seek compensation. Every case is different, depending on the details of your injury claim, your lawyer can fight for a variety of forms of compensation for you.
Our Los Angeles Lyft accident lawyer will defend your right to obtain a damages claim for the following:
- Previous and Future Medical Bills
- Past and Future Lost Income
- Any Permanent Disfigurement
- Any Permanent Impairment
- Pain and Suffering
- Loss of Quality of Life
When it’s time to receive your compensation, your Lyft driver’s personal insurance may also come into play, as a portion of the funds may come from their coverage.
Am I Still Eligible to Receive Compensation If I’m Partially At-Fault for My Lyft Accident?
California employs a system of pure comparative negligence. Under this doctrine, you may recover damages even if you contributed to the accident or your injuries. Your recovery amount will be reduced by your percentage of fault.
Do not let an insurance company unfairly blame you for your accident. Our personal injury lawyer at Haffner Law will assist you in fighting back against blame-shifting and constructing a solid negligence case that proves who was actually at fault.
How Should an Insurance Claim Be Handled Following a Lyft Accident?
In California, Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) such as Lyft must comply with specific insurance requirements. The law divides TNC services into three distinct time frames.
Period 1
It begins when the Lyft driver launches the app and awaits a match. During this time, Lyft’s insurance company must provide coverage per person for death and personal injury, per accident, and for property damage.
Period 2
It begins when the driver accepts a passenger match and is on the way to pick up the passenger. During this period, primary insurance and uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage apply.
Period 3
From the time that the driver picks up the passenger until the time that the passenger exits the rideshare vehicle. Period 3 follows the same insurance requirements as Period 2.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lyft Accident Injury Claim?
In California, the statute of limitations for the majority of car accident lawsuits is two years. Two years can pass at a moment’s notice. If you fail to act before the deadline, you will forfeit the right to recover the compensation you need.
Do not allow this to occur. Call Haffner Law immediately following your Lyft accident. This will allow us enough time to investigate your accident thoroughly, collect evidence, and ensure that all of your rideshare accident claims are filed on time.
How Can Our Experienced Los Angeles Lyft Accident Lawyer Help?
In California, it can be difficult enough to recover compensation after a car accident, but rideshare accidents add new complications. You may be covered by either the personal insurance policy of the Lyft driver or the commercial Lyft policy. However, both carriers may assert that the other is at fault.
The availability of Lyft’s insurance policy also depends on the actions of the driver at the time of the accident. Our personal injury lawyers at Haffner Law can assist you in pursuing just compensation and navigating complex ridesharing policies and regulations.
If you choose Haffner Law to represent you in your Lyft accident case, our skilled Los Angeles Lyft accident lawyer will do the following:
- Examine every aspect of your collision to determine liable parties and collect evidence
- Consult with experts in a variety of fields for expert testimony on your injuries, future damages, and cause
- Provide the legal counsel and direction required to make informed decisions
- Manage all communications and negotiations with the insurance provider
- Build a compelling case if your case goes to court to seek the full compensation you are owed
Do not allow an insurance company to place the blame on you, downplay your injuries, or offer you less compensation than you deserve. Call Haffner Law today for a free case evaluation with our Los Angeles Lyft accident lawyer.
Allow Us to Help You Through Your Toughest Time
When you are a passenger with no control over the situation, car accidents can be extremely frightening. At Haffner Law, our Los Angeles Lyft accident lawyer is familiar with the stress and financial burdens that can result from an accident.
Oftentimes, the prospect of increasing one’s financial burden by paying for legal counsel makes the idea of pursuing a claim more appealing. However, victims of Lyft accidents who pursue compensation without the aid of an attorney are less likely to receive the settlement or award they deserve.
If you were injured in a Lyft accident in Los Angeles and are considering filing a claim for damages, please contact our law office immediately for a free case review. When you contact us, we will explain your legal rights, examine the details of your accident, determine which parties may be liable, and advise you on the best course of action. Our personal injury attorneys assist clients in Los Angeles and throughout California.
