When you need a ride somewhere, ridesharing apps like Lyft could come in quite handy. You trust the driver to get you to your destination safely and on time, but accidents can always happen. If you are in a car accident as a Lyft passenger, you’re probably entitled to compensation, but how do you handle the situation?
Get Immediate Medical Attention
The first thing you should always do following a car accident is get medical attention immediately. Even if you feel your injuries aren’t very bad, there could be some underlying issues you can’t see from the outside. Getting examined by a physician is an important step of recovery, but will also help you in the claims process.
Find Out Who’s Responsible for the Accident
To seek compensation for your injuries, you’ll need to know who was responsible for the accident. If you were the passenger in a Lyft vehicle, but it was another vehicle’s driver who caused the accident, you would file a claim with that other driver. If your Lyft driver shares responsibility with the other driver, you might seek compensation from both drivers. There’s also the chance the Lyft driver is solely responsible for the accident, and in that case, you might have coverage through the Lyft company.
Lyft offers a $1,000,000 per accident limit for passengers who were receiving a ride from a Lyft driver at the time of an accident. This coverage also applies to other parties involved in the accident. If you weren’t actually a passenger in the Lyft vehicle and were injured, you might seek contingent coverage from Lyft. If the driver was completely off the clock, you would seek compensation from his or her personal auto insurance coverage.
File an Insurance Claim
Once you know who’s responsible for the accident and which insurance company to contact, you can work on filing an insurance claim. Don’t feel like you have to accept the first offer that comes your way. Your attorney can help you determine whether the offer is fair and whether it will cover all the expenses incurred at the time of your accident.
File a Personal Injury Lawsuit
If you and your lawyer feel you aren’t being treated fairly by the insurance companies, it might be time to file a personal injury lawsuit. There are certain protections in place for the Lyft company, so the lawsuit might be filed against the driver, not the company. Contact a car accident lawyer, like from the Morales Law Firm, today for more information.