Lyft Car Accident: 5 Steps to Take

What Happens if You’re in a Car Accident in a Lyft?

Whether you over-imbibed at your favorite dive bar or got a flat tire on your way to work, Lyft is like that super cool, perennially available friend who just happens to be free when you’re in the throes of an emergency.

But then the unimaginable happens: You’re involved in an accident while riding in a Lyft, and since that was the one thing your Lyft driver didn’t discuss with you when you climbed into the backseat, you have no clue what to do next.

If you’ve been Googling car accident Lyft, let us clue you in. Here are the steps you can take to lift yourself out of your confusion and crisis.

#1 Seek Medical Attention

Roughly 6 million car accidents occur every year.¹ Naturally, Lyft, Uber, and other rideshare companies and services are part of this number. According to research conducted by the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, the introduction of ride-share services has led to a 3% increase in car accident fatalities.² In other words, accidents happen.

So what should you do if you're in a Lyft accident? Your first order of business if this happens to you is to seek medical attention, as with any other auto accident—even if you feel only mildly dizzy. Injuries, such as whiplash, can be subtle at first, and may develop within days of an accident.³

Ensure to document the medical attention you received for a personal injury, both immediately after the accident and in the time that follows. 

A few other boxes you’ll want to check: 

• Take photos of any visible injuries
• Document any areas of your body that are experiencing pain
• Write down a summary of what occurred during the collision

#2 Report the Accident

Be sure to file a police report on the rideshare accident. This will prove immensely valuable if you elect to file a lawsuit, as an officer’s coverage will provide insights on the nature of the accident, who was at fault, and other key pieces of information about the collision.

In addition, file a report with Lyft. Lyft provides customers with the option to contact their Safety Support team via chat or over the phone directly from the app.⁴ It may benefit you, however, to hold off on making a statement or coming to any decisions with Lyft until you’ve spoken with an attorney.

#3 Gather Information 

You may or may not decide to file a lawsuit, but in any event, you want to guarantee you have all the pertinent information you need. This should include:

• The time, date, and location of the accident
• Your Lyft driver's name, phone number, and address
• Your driver’s personal insurance information
• The other driver’s name and insurance information
• Testimony from witnesses, if available
• The make, model, license plate numbers, and VINs the involved vehicles

#4 Understand Lyft’s Coverage

If your Lyft driver had the app on while transporting you, and is found at fault, Lyft has third-party liability. Briefly, this covers a minimum of:⁵

• $50,000/per person for bodily injury
• $100,000/per accident for bodily injury
• $25,000/per accident for property damage

Liability coverage for Lyft accidents caps out at $1,000,000.⁶

You may be asking, but doesn’t my driver have their own insurance coverage? Yes, Lyft drivers are required to have auto insurance as well.

If you’ve been injured in another way, and this exceeds Lyft’s liability coverage, you may have the option of filing a lawsuit against the driver’s insurance company, too. 

If the other driver was at fault, this applies as well; but keep in mind that the amount awarded may depend on the state in which the accident occurred. 

Furthermore, it may be concluded that both parties were at fault. For example, 13 states, including New York and California, have a “comparative negligence law,”⁷ which means that claims must be filed with both insurance companies.

#5 Consult with a Car Accident Lawyer

Getting into a car accident in your Mom’s borrowed Buick is one thing. But for Lyft-related accidents that require dealing with insurance companies, claims, and compensation, a car accident lawyer is best. 

A quality car accident lawyer, preferably one who specializes in ride-share lawsuits, can walk you through the process and provide invaluable direction on what to do next. You may be in a position to receive compensation for:

• Lost wages
• Pain and suffering damages
• Medical bills and expenses—now and in the future

Streamline Your Accident Support

Rarely do we want to see “car accident Lyft” in the same sentence, but these things happen. Whether the rideshare accident is a minor fender bender or a major collision, one thing holds true: Accidents are downright scary. You may not be in the right frame of mind to handle all of the intricacies that inevitably follow, nor realize what may be available to you as a passenger.

Reach out to a trusted attorney from Mighty's Accident Attorney Directory today for a consultation so that you can put your “passenger in Lyft accident” identity in the rearview mirror.

Sources

1. Driver Knowledge. Car accident statistics in the U.S. https://www.driverknowledge.com/car-accident-statistics/
2. University of Chicago News. Ride-hailing services may be driving up traffic deaths. https://news.uchicago.edu/story/ride-hailing-services-may-be-driving-traffic-deaths
3. Mayo Clinic. Whiplash–symptoms and causes. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/whiplash/symptoms-causes/syc-20378921
4. Lyft. How Lyft works to keep drivers safe. https://www.lyft.com/safety/driver#help-from-real-humans
5. Lyft. Insurance resources for Lyft drivers. https://www.lyft.com/driver/insurance#what-lyft-covers
6. NOLO. I was injured while riding in an uber or lyft vehicle. https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/i-was-injured-while-riding-in-an-uber-or-lyft-vehicle.html
7. Investopedia. Comparative negligence: definition types, and examples. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/comparative-negligence.asp