Woodland Hills Lyft Accidents

You haven’t been driving since getting major surgery on your right knee, which was left injured after decades of work as a stuntman for the movie business. Thankfully, all you have to do is call a Lyft if you need to get somewhere beyond your Woodland Hills home. That’s exactly what you did when you had a meeting in Hollywood about your new consulting gig. Problem is, not all drivers are as skilled or careful as you’d like them to be. Your driver was reading text messages on his phone when the car in front of him suddenly stopped, resulting in a rear-end collision.

As luck would have it, your right knee got jammed into the seat in front of you and is now swelling up and in intense pain. The driver was clearly negligent, but he was working as a Lyft driver at the time. So who’s liable and how are you going to make sure you’re fully compensated for the re-injuring of your knee (not to mention lost wages and other expenses)?

Rideshare accidents can be quite complicated to sort out, especially when you consider all of the parties involved. The best way to protect your interests is to work with a Woodland Hills Lyft accident lawyer who knows how to apply the proper leverage on your behalf. We’ll take a glimpse at the Lyft accident claims process and discuss the importance of having legal representation for such matters.

You could see your driver looking down at his phone while laughing right up until the point of impact, although he’s now denying it. You also took a photo of your knee as it swelled up and turned blue (as a stuntman, you’re used to pain). That’s a good start, but you’ll want to follow some other important steps as well.

Your driver may tell you he’s got it under control and will take care of you. But much of this process is out of his hands, so you’ll want to obtain the following information for your own records:

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

Next, you’ll want to check a few details that are more specific to Lyft drivers. Since you were a passenger at the time, you should be fully covered by Lyft’s policy. However, you’ll want to check the following:

• Is the driver logged into their Lyft app? They should be, but don’t make assumptions (when a Lyft driver is off duty, then they’re covered solely by their own personal insurance policy).
• If the driver is in driver mode but doesn’t have a passenger, Lyft provides contingency coverage of $50,000 per injury, $100,000 per accident, and $25,000 in property damage coverage (this kicks in if the driver’s own policy denies coverage).
• If a passenger is in the vehicle, then Lyft provides up to $1 million in liability coverage per accident.

Your Woodland Hills Lyft accident lawyer can use this information to determine the best way to get you the compensation you require for your injuries. Also, remember to report your accident with Lyft as well.

Since your Lyft driver was clearly at fault for the accident that led to your injuries, you’ll file a claim with his insurer. However, unless they have a commercial driver’s license or a special provision in their policy to cover rideshare work, their insurer may deny the claim. That’s why Lyft provides up to $1 million in liability coverage, which is applicable to passengers as well as other parties injured in Lyft accidents.

As you can see, there are several different parties involved and each one has an incentive to pass the buck. Injured parties filing claims for Lyft accidents often cite frustration with the process, such as the following:

• Claim is denied, suggesting it wasn’t the Lyft driver’s fault (using the opening example, proof of texting while driving would be key)
• Failure to reply to claims or questions about claims
• Low settlement offers (they often try to entice you with an early settlement that may be much lower than you’re entitled to receive)
• Claiming your injury was a “pre-existing condition” (in the example above, they may try to argue that since your knee was already injured, they’re not responsible)

These are just a few of the reasons why you really want to have an attorney on your side. A skilled, experienced Woodland Hills Lyft accident lawyer will not suffer fools easily and will do whatever it takes to get you the compensation you deserve. They also know how to investigate evidence that backs your claim and understand how the claims process works.

The devil’s in the details, especially when you’re dealing with rideshare accidents and the multiple parties involved. These other parties all have legal representation. Shouldn’t you? Contact the seasoned professionals at the Law Offices of Gary K. Walch, A Law Corporation and get your life back on track.