While Yuba City doesn’t have the hectic Sacramento traffic, you still might try to reduce your road time or find a way to run errands and do something else at the same time. At those busy times, you might take a Lyft instead of driving. If your Lyft driver gets into an accident during your trip and you’re hurt, The Law Offices of Steve Gimblin want you to know we’re here for you.
Auto Accidents and Lyft Ridesharing
When you’re involved in an accident in a chauffeur-driven vehicle, how we handle the personal injury claim differs a little. With Lyft, each driver must carry at least California’s minimum auto insurance to cover his or her liability. The Lyft company also carries liability insurance. This improves your chances of receiving a fair settlement for an accident in which you incur injury.
While case preparation remains the same with regards to documenting the accident, you have two opportunities for settlement. If the Lyft driver’s insurance company denies your claim, you can then make a claim against the Lyft company’s insurance company.
Why might the driver’s insurance deny your claim?
You may have a perfectly valid reason for filing the claim, but the California minimum auto insurance only requires the driver to carry 15/30/5:
- bodily injury liability covering injury or death in the amount of $15,000 per person per accident,
- bodily injury liability covering injury or death in the amount of $30,000 per accident,
- property damage liability in the amount of $5,000 per person per accident.
That means if the driver caused the accident and it involved more than just your vehicle, the Lyft driver would be liable for every person’s injuries. If two other people filed a claim before you did, that could have exhausted the driver’s insurance coverage. The insurance company only pays up to $30,000 for personal injuries caused in one accident. Lyft does enhance its drivers’ minimum coverage 50/100/25.
Lyft Carries Insurance, Too
Lyft, on the other hand, like other rideshare firms, carries up to $1 million in liability coverage. If the driver’s insurance denies the claim, you can easily and legally submit a claim to Lyft’s insurance or file a lawsuit against Lyft.
This makes more financial sense than suing the Lyft driver solely. The large policy that Lyft carries enables you to have a better chance of recovering an appropriate settlement to cover your medical costs, rehabilitative care, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Contact Steve Gimblin
With respect to case preparation, we help you document your accident by collecting photos of the accident from witnesses and the police. We obtain copies of the police report and witness statements.
You may need to work with a private investigator who can look into the driver’s background and find witnesses to the accident. Documenting your case to go to court may also require expert witnesses, including:
- accident reconstructionists,
- highway safety experts,
- medical experts,
- economic and financial experts.
You take Lyft rides to make transportation around Yuba City more convenient. When you’re involved in an accident while riding in a Lyft vehicle, call The Law Offices of Steve Gimblin for a Lyft accident lawyer who can help you obtain a fair settlement.
