Camarillo Lyft Accident Lawyer

You’d seen those “Lyft” stickers on cars all over Camarillo and throughout Southern California, often alongside a “Uber” sticker, but you weren’t sure what it meant until last week. You found out the hard way when you were driving to your job as an airplane mechanic at the Camarillo Airport. Just as you were turning onto Pleasant Valley Rd., a bright red sedan with a Lyft sticker ran into the back of your vehicle. Apparently they didn’t notice you had your right blinker on and had slowed down. They bumped you into the other lane, where a second vehicle struck you (as they didn’t have time to react).

Now your left leg is shattered and you’re recovering from whiplash. Three cars were involved and the driver was taking a paying passenger somewhere at the time. With so many moving parts, how will you file a claim that covers your costs? You’ll want to speak with an experienced Camarillo Lyft accident lawyer at Walch Law after getting proper medical care, as this will probably be complicated.

The following is an overview of what to do after you’re involved in a Lyft accident, common issues with Lyft-related claims, and the benefits of working with an attorney.

The car that hit you after you were knocked into their lane originally thought you were at fault, while the Lyft driver initially denied his role in starting this chain reaction. But you were able to take notes and snap some pictures at the scene, despite being in a considerable amount of pain. Your photos and some investigating from your attorney’s office cleared things up, however. Sometimes everyone has their own story to tell, so it’s good to have solid evidence that backs you up. However, the first thing you should do after an accident is to make sure everyone is okay.

You’ll also need to gather the following information (regardless of whether it’s a Lyft accident):

• Names and contact information of any drivers involved in the accident
• License plate numbers and descriptions of all vehicles involved
• Insurance information

Since the at-fault motorist was a Lyft driver, you’ll also want to determine the following details:

• Is the driver logged into their Lyft app (when a Lyft driver is off duty, they’re covered solely by their own personal insurance policy)?
• In the event the app is in driver mode but the car doesn’t have passengers, Lyft provides contingency coverage of $50,000 per injury, $100,000 per accident, and $25,000 in property damage coverage (in case the driver’s own policy denies coverage).
• Lyft also provides up to $1 million in liability coverage per accident for passengers.
• Remember to report your accident with Lyft.

Insurance companies aren’t motivated to make massive payouts and will do whatever they can to limit settlements with drivers. This doesn’t necessarily mean they’re negotiating in bad faith, just that you need to be prepared for any pushback. It’s even more complicated when a Lyft driver is involved, although your Camarillo Lyft accident lawyer will know how to document the right evidence in your favor.

Lyft claims can sometimes be met with some resistance. Filers of claims have reported the following issues:

• Claim is denied, suggesting it wasn’t the Lyft driver’s fault)
• Failure to reply to claims or questions about claims
• Low settlement offers
• Claiming your injury was a “pre-existing condition” and not in fact caused by the accident

Of course, you’ll also need to show that the driver who initially bumped you into the path of another vehicle, which led to the more-serious collision that left you injured, was in fact at-fault. In most cases, you’ll have to prove the at-fault driver’s negligence, which means they owed you a duty of care (legal responsibility) to act in a “reasonable” manner.

The elements of a negligence claim are:

1. Defendant (at-fault driver) owed a duty of care to the plaintiff (injured party)
2. Defendant breached that duty
3. Plaintiff’s injuries were in fact caused by this breach
4. Defendant’s actions were the proximate cause of the injury(ies), which means the plaintiff wouldn’t have suffered those injuries if not for the defendant’s breach
5. Plaintiff has suffered actual damages (legally recognized injuries), such as bodily injury

Proving your claim isn’t always the same as knowing what happened. If you’re unable to convince the other parties involved that your injuries were the result of their negligence, you could be out of luck. If you were injured by the negligence of a Lyft driver, then you owe it yourself to call the Law Offices of Gary K. Walch, a Law Corporation today. We are here to help make sure you get the most for your lyft accident case and ready to get started today. Let our 98%+ success rate and four decades of experience help you and your family today.