Bakersfield Lyft accident victims can be down with injury for weeks. This all while their medical bills multiply and they miss time at work. But in a rideshare-involved accident, there’s a driver and a major company that should be held responsible.
Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield offers a free, no-obligation consultation for all Lyft accident victims in Kern County. It’s a chance to help determine how to hold Lyft drivers and their employers fully accountable.
Do I Need a Lawyer After a Lyft Accident?
If you suffered an accident caused by a careless Lyft driver, and your resulting injury is serious, you will probably benefit by talking to a skilled Bakersfield Lyft accident attorney. A serious accident comes with a higher medical cost, and those bills can make car insurance companies and rideshare companies battle harder to avoid accepting responsibility.
Lyft will also have teams of lawyers to try to get them off the hook for the mistakes of its employees. Your lawyer is a safeguard against this kind of unprofessional behavior and unfair treatment.
Your lawyer would take these actions and others to protect your claim and earn you more for recovery:
- Gather evidence through careful investigation of the accident.
- Fight back if an insurer or Lyft tries to blame you for what happened.
- Call in accident reconstruction teams if fault is still being questioned.
- Protect you if Lyft’s corporate attorneys are brought in to further downgrade your case.
- Collects all medical documentation in the event Lyft attempts to question how badly you are hurt or use their own doctors to devalue your injury claim.
- Files your claim for you while you are given the chance to focus on healing.
- Negotiates to get you the maximum settlement available.
- Prepares a lawsuit in case Lyft refuses to accept full blame for your injuries and other damages.
A Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyer often earns injured victims much more than they could by going up against Lyft themselves.
Do Lyft Drivers Carry Car Insurance?
Lyft drivers are required to carry their own auto insurance when they work. This insurance usually isn’t much help for accident victims. For starters, car insurance companies react harshly when they find their policyholders are in accidents while driving for a rideshare. They often reject these claims.
There’s also the size of the policy that most drivers will carry. It’s often a basic policy that has low limits on compensation. Victims might only get half of their medical bills paid before the limits are reached.
Lyft does have insurance coverage on drivers. It’s a policy that goes up to one million dollars in some situations. However, victims must file claims with the driver’s insurance first. Then, if the claim is rejected or if it doesn’t cover all of the medical bills involved, Lyft’s insurance could be called up as supplemental insurance.
But be aware, Lyft’s full insurance only applies to certain phases in the driver’s work day:
- One Million Dollar Coverage: To be made available, the driver must have the Lyft app open and must have a customer in the car or be on the way to pick up someone who has requested the ride.
- $50,000 for Injuries: For accidents caused by the Lyft driver while they have the app open, but have no customer scheduled, one victim could expect up to $50,000 in coverage. An accident with multiple victims would be covered up to $100,000 in support.
If a Lyft driver is traveling around the city without the Lyft App open and causes an accident, Lyft’s insurance wouldn’t cover any damages.
If another driver crashes into the rideshare vehicle you are in, the driver’s insurance coverage would be called upon.
It should be noted that Lyft does offer uninsured motorist coverage for the accidents it covers.
Figuring out whose insurance should apply to your accident can be the most difficult part of your case. Your Bakersfield car accident lawyer would examine the evidence to figure out where an injury claim should be targeted. In some cases, it may be several parties that bear responsibility. Your attorney would file multiple claims with multiple insurers for your benefit.
Lyft Accident Risks in Bakersfield
Lyft rides may be a convenient option for some in Bakersfield who need a ride to school or work. Some may take a rideshare to the grocery store, or out for a night on the town.
But all these rides can add to the busy traffic around Bakersfield on streets like Truxtun Avenue at 5pm. And each car may be driven by a distracted motorist balancing watching a Lyft app for customers and monitoring the cars ahead.
It’s a constant accident risk anytime a rideshare is near. Lyft drivers fall for the same temptations as any driver, except that they are also working while behind the wheel. They can look at their cellphones instead of the lanes. They can speed to rush a passenger around. They can even get aggressive to get a good rating.
There are several ways someone can suffer an injury or watch as their car is smashed in a rideshare collision:
- You might be riding in the back seat of an Uber car when the Lyft worker causes an accident, or another motorist rams the vehicle. Victims in the backseat of cars can suffer specific injuries. They might slam into the car door, into the front seat, or into someone else in the car. A severe concussion, a broken bone, or even a neck or back injury is possible.
- You might be in your own SUV or on a motorcycle when a Lyft driver in a hurry slams into you from behind.
- You might be walking or biking in a crosswalk when a rideshare driver causes a devastating crash.
- You might be a Lyft driver struck by a reckless driver on Ming Avenue. Maision Law Accident & Injury Lawyers can help you if Lyft suddenly doesn’t seem so concerned about its employees’ well-being.
Our lawyers get aggressive to make sure Lyft accepts liability for it’s drivers. They make millions of dollars by using our local roads. The company must be held accountable if you get hurt by their business practices. Their liability can also extend to the lack of training they give their employees. The absence of good background checks on their drivers can also leave them open to liability in any accident.
What Can I Get Support for After a Lyft Accident?
Victims hurt in accidents involving a rideshare vehicle may suddenly find themselves in a hospital bed. They may have to worry about their physical health, while also stressing about the medical bills that are piling up.
Victims may also be unable to go to work during this time and can fall behind on their normal monthly bills, like a mortgage or car payment. Lyft should be liable for all of these hardships and more.
Your lawyer would demand support for you for these damages and more:
- Coverage for all medical care for as long as it takes for you to heal
- The cost of long-term care when passengers suffer a permanent physical disability
- Money for car, SUV, truck, motorcycle, or bicycle repairs or replacement if a Lyft driver struck your vehicle
- Travel costs when visiting doctors and specialists
- Support for the income and benefits that injured victims lose while unable to work
- Support for pain and suffering, including emotional trauma caused by a frightening crash and by a difficult recovery
- Support for the loss of enjoyment of life, including the struggle through a tough recovery when victims can’t participate in the hobbies they love
- Wrongful death support for families if a loved one is tragically killed in a fatal accident involving a Lyft car
Contact a Lyft Accident Attorney Who Builds Your Case with Powerful Evidence and Fights to Earn You More
If you have a serious injury after an accident involving a Lyft Driver, contact Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield to schedule a free consultation. It’s a confidential, no-obligation review of your case with a real Kern County attorney.
Your full recovery becomes our number one mission. We don’t stop fighting until you are fully recovered and have the money to rebuild your finances and your life.
We also realize that right after a major accident, you may not have the money to hire a lawyer. That’s okay. If you hire us, our lawyers don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then, our fee comes out of the settlement check Lyft must send you and your family.