The popularity of Lyft and other rideshare companies has grown rapidly since their inception. Lyft operates in 300 cities including six cities in South Carolina. Lyft is reported to have 30% of the ridesharing market in the U.S., second only to Uber.
People use apps on mobile phones to hail rideshare services for a variety of reasons. One study showed that transportation to and from dinners, parties, and other social gatherings was by far the most popular reason for summoning a rideshare. Rideshare services help to reduce the number of impaired drivers on the road as many use them to avoid drinking and driving.
As the use of Lyft increases, so do traffic accidents involving Lyft drivers and Lyft passengers. People who find themselves in a Lyft car accident may not know what they should do next. If you have been injured in a Lyft accident, due to a rideshare driver or another driver’s negligence, you should know that you have rights.
The Joye Law Firm can help after a Lyft car accident. Our rideshare accident lawyers can review the circumstances of the accident and discuss your legal options, including your right to seek compensation for your losses. Contact us at 888-324-3100 or fill out our online consultation form today.
What To Do After a Lyft Car Accident in South Carolina
In South Carolina, Lyft provides ridesharing services in Charleston, Columbia, Myrtle Beach, Clemson, Greenville, and Spartanburg.
If you are able to do so after an accident involving a rideshare driver, you should:
- Make sure someone calls the police and an ambulance if needed. Ask the police how to get a copy of their report and when it will be available.
- If you were driving, you are obligated to exchange contact information, driver’s license numbers, and insurance information with the Lyft driver. If you were a passenger in a vehicle, ask each driver for this information.
- Take photos of the cars in the accident and their damage. Record eyewitness statements.
- Report the accident to your insurer if you were driving. Don’t blame anyone or accept blame. Just state the facts. Do not sign anything offered by an insurance company or give a recorded statement to an insurer without first discussing the situation with a lawyer. Do not downplay your injuries or your pain.
- See a doctor within 24 hours, regardless of how you feel. Some serious injuries, including potentially fatal head injuries, may show only mild symptoms at first. Seeing a doctor creates a record of your injuries.
- Save all bills, receipts, and correspondence related to the accident, your injuries, medical care, other related costs, and time spent dealing with the aftermath of the accident and its impact on you.
How To File a Complaint as a Lyft Car Accident Passenger
Lyft enables you to leave feedback through the “Report a driver” or “Report a serious matter” buttons on the app or through the “Visit Lyft’s main support center” link on the website. It’s good to follow their instructions and use one of these to explain what happened in as much detail as possible. The company will investigate and should get back to you with a response within 24 hours.
Your best bet for resolving a complaint about injuries stemming from a car accident involving Lyft is to contact a local rideshare car accident lawyer.
A Lyft injury lawyer with Joye Law Firm can help you seek a full and proper insurance settlement if you have been injured in a car accident caused by a Lyft driver or while a Lyft passenger. We will take care of the complicated steps involved in a Lyft claim, including contacting the rideshare service, gathering your medical records, calculating your losses, and negotiating with Lyft for full compensation to you. If necessary, Joye Law Firm can pursue a Lyft accident lawsuit on your behalf.
Can I Sue Lyft after a Car Accident?
To get compensation from Lyft after a car accident injury caused by one of their drivers, you may need to have a Lyft car accident lawyer file a lawsuit. But you may not know how to file a Lyft complaint or Lyft claim to start the process.
Lyft will first direct you to their driver and his or her auto liability insurance as the source of compensation for your losses after a car accident. This may be correct if the driver had not yet logged in to the Lyft app. This would allow the company to claim the driver was not yet working for them, and therefore, Lyft was not financially liable for the driver’s actions.
Once the driver logs in to the app, they are working under Lyft’s auto liability insurance coverage, as required in South Carolina. The law requires coverage worth $50,000 per person for bodily injury if the policyholder causes an accident, $100,000 for all bodily injuries in an incident, and $50,000 for property damage.
Once a Lyft driver is providing transportation services, including traveling to pick someone up, he or she is covered by a $1 million third-party liability policy. If seriously injured, a claim can be filed against this coverage after exhausting the driver’s personal liability coverage. The $1 million coverage is also available to passengers and Lyft drivers injured in accidents caused by underinsured or uninsured drivers who hit a Lyft vehicle.
But Lyft’s insurance carriers – firms like Progressive, State Farm, and Sedgwick – are in business to make money from collecting insurance premiums and paying out the lowest possible amount in settlements. When they deny your claim or offer you a lowball settlement, you’ll need the information you gathered after the accident in addition to the experience and reputation of an experienced South Carolina law firm to have the best chance of receiving fair compensation.
At Joye Law Firm, our attorneys can seek out evidence to prove responsibility for a Lyft car accident. We will calculate the full extent of your losses and the total compensation you are owed. We will submit a demand letter to insurers for Lyft and their driver stating the compensation you were due. If they do not respond to our demands with an appropriate accident settlement offer, we would be prepared to pursue a Lyft rideshare accident lawsuit on your behalf.
Talk to Our Rideshare Accident Attorneys in North Charleston
If you have been injured in a car accident involving a Lyft driver, our attorneys at Joye Law Firm can help you pursue the full compensation available by law. Let our rideshare accident attorneys at Joye Law Firm handle your Lyft accident claim. Joye Law firm has been serving injured South Carolinians since 1968. We have offices in North Charleston, Columbia, Myrtle Beach, Clinton, and Summerville. We’re proud to give back to the communities that we serve.
Contact us for a free initial consultation today with a Lyft accident lawyer. We will not charge for our legal services unless we recover compensation for you. Call us at 888-324-3100 or fill out an online consultation form.
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