It’s a relief to know that you don’t have to drive yourself all around the city. If you’ve spent a night out on the town or just need a lift, you can call a rideshare driver for help. When you put your faith in ridesharing services, though, you also trust them with your safety.
Unfortunately, not every rideshare driver can protect you from accidents. Anyone can find themselves involved in a car accident. If you’re a Lyft driver, your post-accident rights differ from those of passengers or unaffiliated drivers.
To fight for compensation, you need to know where you stand in the eyes of the law. That’s where Morelli Law Firm comes into play. In the days following an accident, you can meet with a White Plains, NY, Lyft accident attorney to discuss filing a civil claim.
Insurance Questions for Independent Drivers
Lyft offers insurance matching to the drivers it employs and to its passengers. If you’re using or driving a Lyft at the time of an accident, you’ll need to know what your relationship is to the company before filing an insurance claim.
Lyft does not offer coverage to drivers who aren’t affiliated with the company. Independent drivers are responsible for their own losses and insurance coverage after a Lyft accident.
That doesn’t mean that Lyft won’t take responsibility for an accident, though. Instead, Lyft may offer a settlement to unaffiliated drivers hit by one of their employees. In this vein, independent drivers may file civil suits against Lyft if they believe an on-duty driver bears responsibility for their losses.
Lyft’s Insurance, Drivers, and Passengers
New York drivers operate on a no-fault policy. This means that anyone hurt in a car accident has to file their own claim with their own insurance provider. Lyft, however, complicates matters. If you’re an on-duty Lyft driver, off-duty driver, or passenger, your relationship to your insurance changes.
As a result, accident liability also changes. There are some circumstances in which Lyft accepts responsibility for one of its driver’s behavior. However, drivers must fulfill specific requirements for this to be the case. You can meet with our Lyft accident attorneys in White Plains for more information.
Lyft Support for Rideshare Drivers
Lyft matches the insurance of its on-duty drivers. Drivers who find themselves involved in accidents while on-duty may subsequently file insurance claims with their parent company.
What does a driver have to be doing to be considered ‘on-duty,’ though? Lyft notes that drivers who are on duty must fulfill one of the following standards:
- Drivers must have active passengers in the car
- Drivers must be on their way to a passenger who requested a ride
- Drivers must be waiting for a ride request and using the Lyft app
Drivers who are waiting for a ride request without using Lyft’s app do not benefit from the company’s insurance matching. Similarly, drivers who are using their vehicles for personal purposes must file insurance claims with their own providers.
Lyft Support for Injured Passengers
No matter who may be at fault for an accident, Lyft always strives to offer coverage to its passengers. As a result, any passenger in an active Lyft may file an insurance claim with the ridesharing company.
However, that does not mean that the ridesharing company assumes responsibility for the question at hand. Passengers who want to pursue civil suits need to determine accident liability on their own time—often with the help of a personal injury attorney.
If an active Lyft driver claims responsibility for an accident, injured passengers may file civil suits against Lyft. Comparatively, passengers may file independent claims against an individual driver if it appears that a third-party individual caused the accident at hand.
White Plains Lyft Accident Lawyer Near Me 877-751-9800
Contending With a Lyft Settlement Offer
Lyft is a large and affluent company. As such, representatives from the company may reach out to parties injured by one of their drivers. In these circumstances, Lyft extends what is known as a settlement offer. Settlement offers are meant to provide injured drivers with the financial support they need to safely recover from an accident.
However, some settlement offers can be deceitful. These offers often come with caveats, meaning that those parties who accept them may not take Lyft to court. Similarly, settlement offers may appear to cover all your losses, when in reality, they shortchange you.
If you’re not sure whether or not a settlement offer has been offered in good faith, call on a Lyft accident attorney in White Plains, NY. Our team can assess the offer with you and help you negotiate for comprehensive coverage. Learn more about what a personal injury lawyer can do for you.
Filing for Lyft Accident Compensation
If you want to file a civil claim for compensation, you need to submit a complaint to a local judge. In a Lyft accident, a complaint identifies the party liable for your losses. Liability doesn’t just fall to either Lyft or another driver, of course. You may also hold the following responsible for your losses:
- Government bodies
- Construction crews
- Truck drivers
- Mechanics
- Automobile manufacturers
Once you’ve established liability, you need to present a court with proof thereof. You should also include an estimate of your potential compensation along with your complaint.
Above all else, make sure you submit your complaint within New York’s statute of limitations. This statute, as established by NY Civil Practice Law & Rules (CVP) § 214, gives you three years to file your claim. Failure to file within this time period can see you lose out on the financial support you deserve.
Calculating Your Post-Accident Compensation
Your post-accident losses are going to be unique to your circumstances. That said, you can still look to previous Lyft accidents to determine what precedent for compensation exists for your case. If you can prove precedent when requesting financial support, you’ll have an easier time presenting your case.
Our White Plains Lyft accident lawyers also make it easier to break down your accident-related losses. You can calculate your estimated compensation during an initial case consultation.
Economic and Non-Economic Damages
Your accident-related losses fall into two categories. Your economic losses are damages that have an easy-to-calculate dollar value. These include everything from personal injuries to rental car fees to lost wages. You can present evidence of your economic losses using pay stubs, bills, and invoices.
Non-economic losses don’t always come with tangible receipts. Rather, these damages can include PTSD, loss of companionship, and long-term trauma. While you can submit a therapist’s bill as part of these losses, you can also request that a liability party reimburse you for your suffering. Do note, though, that these losses are often capped.
When establishing both losses, know that you can reach out to a third party of support. Medical professionals, counselors, mechanics, and other professional witnesses can argue for the validity of your losses. As a result, they’ll back your claim for compensation.
Learn More About Your Lyft Accident Compensation
The legalities surrounding a Lyft accident aren’t always straightforward to process. If you don’t know what rights or protections you’re entitled to, you may take on more expenses than you need to. Fortunately, you can consult a Lyft accident attorney in White Plains long before an accident’s losses become a problem.
Morelli Law Firm can help you assess your losses and write a related complaint. Whether your case goes to trial or stays out of court, we can fight for the compensation that’ll make your post-accident life simpler. Call or message our office today to schedule your free case evaluation.