Ridesharing services like Lyft have become a popular mode of transportation for many individuals. You may have chosen rideshare to avoid confronting the road yourself because your car had broken down, you missed the flight, or you simply don’t want to deal with driving and parking. Regretfully, your Lyft driver may have been involved in a car accident, leaving you badly injured.
Lyft and other ridesharing services have made getting around South Carolina quick. With a few taps on your smartphone app, you may request a ride. While getting a ride is straightforward, what happens if you are involved in a Lyft accident in South Carolina is more complex.
Whether you were injured as a passenger in a Lyft vehicle or as a passenger in another vehicle involved in a Lyft accident, you may be entitled to compensation. To learn more about your legal options, contact the attorneys at the Marc Brown Law Firm immediately to schedule a consultation.
Liability In Lyft Accidents In South Carolina
In South Carolina, the individual who caused the accident is liable for paying affected people for their losses and damages. The Lyft driver or the driver of another car or truck may be held accountable in many cases. If the accident was caused by a Lyft driver, you may be able to claim compensation through Lyft’s insurance coverage. When it comes to car accidents involving Lyft drivers, the issue usually centers around insurance, which is likely to get complicated in this scenario.
It’s going to get tricky if you’ve been injured in a Lyft accident, whether you were in the Lyft or your car. When ridesharing firms like Lyft first appeared on the market a few years ago, they were able to fly under the regulatory radar for quite some time. All of this is changing, but the complexities of insurance remain complex and demand careful handling. Hiring an experienced attorney is the best approach to figuring out who could be liable for the costs associated with the injury. Our Columbia vehicle accident lawyers in South Carolina can also help you figure out whether insurance policies are available to compensate you.
Tactics Used By Lyft and Its Drivers to Avoid Liability
Large rideshare companies, such as Lyft and Uber, insulate themselves against liability by using independent contractors as drivers rather than hiring employees. This means they are rarely directly liable for any car accident damages. Instead, they require contracted drivers to carry special rideshare insurance. Under these policies, the compensation recoverable depends on the stage of the rideshare. Most rideshare policies are structured as follows:
- When a Lyft driver operates their car for personal use, they are covered under their private auto insurance
- Once the driver turns on their Lyft app and waits for a booking, the lower tier of rideshare insurance coverage comes into effect with $25,000 in property damage available, $50,000 per person in injury coverage, or $100,000 total per accident
- Once the Lyft driver has a ride request, during the drive to pick up the passenger, and throughout the ride with the passenger, the top level of rideshare insurance coverage is in place with up to $1 million total coverage per accident
A Lyft driver’s rideshare insurance company may dispute coverage or point to other policies after an accident. Insurers sometimes deny that their policy was in effect at the time of the accident. In other cases, they use tactics such as recording phone calls and using an injury victim’s words out of context against them later, or denying that a doctor’s recommended medical treatment is necessary.
Damages That An Injured Person May Be Able To Recover
Following an accident, the first thing on your attention should be to recoup from your injuries. However, as you make your way back to health, you’ll quickly learn the full depth of the injuries you sustained in the accident. You may have lost out on work, family time, and unnecessarily experienced pain and suffering. You can also be getting a lot of medical bills.
The amount of compensation you can obtain is generally determined by several variables. The details surrounding the incident, the type and extent of your injuries, and who is found to blame for the accident are just a few of them. There are often several types of damages in an accident involving a Lyft driver that can be claimed:
- Medical costs and future medical expenses
- Loss of income/wages
- Diminished earning ability
- Pain and suffering
- Disability or catastrophic injury compensation for loss of limb, disfigurement, the loss of one of the senses, or diminished quality of life
Why Do You Need a Rideshare Accident Attorney?
Lyft accident claims are uniquely complex and require skilled representation. A rideshare accident lawyer will represent your best interests throughout the claim process by doing the following:
- Handling all communication with the insurance company
- Investigating all aspects of the accident to identify the cause of the crash, the correct liable party, and the appropriate insurance policy
- Document compelling evidence of liability
- Carefully calculate your damages to maximize the amount of compensation available to you in your claim
- Send a demand package with their findings to the appropriate insurance company
- Negotiate with the insurance company seeking the largest possible settlement
- Obtain an ample settlement or take the case to court seeking a jury verdict in your favor and the largest possible jury award for your compensation
Over 93% of car accident claims are resolved with settlements, including Lyft accident claims in Columbia and the surrounding area.
What to Do After a Lyft Accident In Columbia
It can be challenging to take purposeful action after a serious car accident, whether as a Lyft passenger or in a collision with a Lyft vehicle. An incapacitated or unconscious car accident victim can only await help, but if an accident victim can use their phone, or ask an uninjured person to use it for them, they can do the following:
- Call 911 to report the accident and request emergency services
- Use the Lyft app’s emergency function to report the accident to Lyft
- Use the phone’s camera to snap photos of the accident scene, including the damaged Lyft vehicle and any other damaged vehicles
- Photograph anything relevant to the accident’s cause
- Add the Lyft driver’s contact information
- Add the contact information of any eyewitnesses
Always go directly to a hospital for emergency medical treatment and request a detailed medical report. Then call an experienced Columbia Lyft accident lawyer.
Contact Our South Carolina Lyft Accident Attorney
When you need a Lyft accident lawyer in South Carolina, you need someone who has the talent, resources, and track record to fight for you and protect you. That’s precisely what you’ll receive from the attorneys at the Marc Brown Law Firm in South Carolina. Our attorneys focus on vehicle accident injury and Columbia wrongful death cases, which include assisting people like you who have been injured or lost a loved one in a car accident. We’re here to explain your rights and ,if you want to file a claim, to guide you through the process. Contact us today.