If I Am Hit by a Lyft Driver in New Jersey, Who Do I Sue?

If you’re hit by a Lyft driver in New Jersey, our Clifton rideshare accident lawyers can help you take legal action against the company, its drivers, and other liable parties. Our help makes it easier for survivors like you to file insurance claims and, in some cases, take your request for support to civil court.

If you can prove that Lyft’s negligence contributed to your reduced quality of life and other economic losses, the company may have to pay for your recovery. Let’s work together to put money in your hands today.

Your Right to File a Lyft Accident Claim Hinges on Evidence

New Jersey’s civil courts require you to build a rideshare accident claim with concrete evidence of negligence. This is easiest to do when you work with a Clifton personal injury lawyer. New Jersey professionals can return to the scene of your crash and look for readily accessible debris and evidence of environmental damage.

We can then pair those findings with electronic data from Lyft’s app, texts, phone records, bystander testimonies, and expert witness statements. Our comprehensive investigation will subsequently allow us to create a narrative of negligence surrounding your case.

So long as our findings meet or exceed New Jersey’s burden of proof, we can fight for your right to accident compensation.

Who to Sue After a Lyft Accident

Evidence establishes your right to a case and, in many situations, can help you determine who you have the right to hold accountable for your losses. However, there are other factors that can impact your ability to hold certain parties financially responsible for your recovery. 

If you’re hit by a Lyft driver in New Jersey, you need to consider contracts and outside influences if you want to determine who you can sue.

The most common parties to appear in New Jersey rideshare accident claims include the following:

Lyft

As a corporation, Lyft assumes liability for the behavior of its employees. This means accident survivors like you have the right to hold the company financially responsible for your losses – albeit only in specific situations. You have an obligation to prove the following facts if you want to sue Lyft for rideshare accident damages:

• The driver responsible for your crash works as a Lyft employee, was using Lyft’s app at the time of your accident, or had active passengers in their vehicle
• The aforementioned driver engaged in avoidable negligence at the time of your crash
• The aforementioned driver was specifically on the clock and getting paid at the time of your crash
• You suffered economic losses as a result of your accident

Corporations like Lyft often prefer to settle accident cases, meaning you may not have to go to court to get the financial support you deserve. However, the company can also try to minimize your losses. You don’t have to let corporate representatives get away with this bad-faith behavior.

Instead, our attorneys can step in and emphasize your right to damages that address all of your losses.

Independent Contractors

Lyft does not want to help you financially recover from an accident. As such, Lyft prefers not to send employees out onto the road. The company would rather work with independent contractors, who it does not have to protect with as much enthusiasm.

Specifically, independent contractors do not benefit from the legal protection of a company after an accident. Independent contractors only default responsibility for an accident if they have active passengers in their car or if they’re using a Lyft app at the time of a crash.

Even then, Lyft may argue that victims have an obligation to go through the contractor’s insurance to get the support they deserve. In most cases, you’ll have the right to sue the independent driver but not the company they see as a client.

Construction Crews, Automotive Manufacturers, and Government Officials

There’s an off chance that a non-driver may play a role in your rideshare accident. For example, construction crews that don’t put up appropriate warnings or who endanger a rideshare driver may force you into a collision. Inattentive automotive manufacturers may fail to release recalls and allow dangerous rideshares out onto the road.

Even government officials – especially those who neglect roadway maintenance – can assume liability for your losses under the right circumstances. While these cases are rare, it’s in your best interest to consider all of the possible angles before assigning responsibility for your recovery.

Third-Party Drivers

There are other people on the road besides you and a Lyft driver. Unfortunately, those drivers can put you in as much danger as someone in a rideshare. If a third-party driver, pedestrian, cyclist, or related party behaves negligently, a rideshare driver may have to swerve to avoid a serious accident.

Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to avoid other people on the road. A rideshare driver who tries to protect themselves from someone else’s negligence may crash into your car, doing more harm than good.

Who do you sue for damages in these situations? You may have the right to hold Lyft, the rideshare driver, and a third-party driver responsible for your recovery. You can work with our rideshare accident lawyers in Clifton to divide fault between all applicable parties.

When to Call a New Jersey Lyft Accident Lawyer

We recommend that you get in touch with an experienced New Jersey Lyft accident attorney as soon as you can after your initial crash. Unfortunately, Lyft and its insurance affiliates will work quickly to deny you access to electronic data, physical debris, and other forms of evidence relevant to your recovery.

What’s more, when you’re hit by a Lyft driver in New Jersey and want to sue, you’re up against New Jersey’s personal injury statute of limitations. If you miss your filing deadline, you may accidentally waive your right to accident support.

Our team is available right now to discuss the circumstances that led to your accident. Let us advocate for your right to the Lyft accident damages you need to recover.