Los Angeles Lyft Accident Lawyer

Los Angeles Rideshare Accident Attorney

Lyft has become incredibly popular in Los Angeles and across California, offering an accessible and affordable alternative to public transportation and taxis, often at odd hours when these standard services are not available. Thousands of people in the Los Angeles area drive for rideshare services to earn extra income, and most customers of Lyft and other rideshare services reach their destinations safely.

Legal Counsel for Lyft Rideshare Accident Claims in Los Angeles, CA

If you use rideshare services like Lyft in Los Angeles, it is important to understand the fact that you face the same risk of injury in a rideshare driver’s vehicle as you would in any other vehicle. However, resolving the aftermath of a rideshare accident can be far more challenging than it would be for most standard car accidents in Los Angeles. Rideshare companies carry auto insurance that can help make up the difference when an at-fault driver’s insurance cannot fully compensate your losses. However, this insurance works differently than private individual auto insurance. You could also need to file a personal injury claim if insurance cannot fully cover your damages.

Heimanson & Wolf, LLP, has an experienced team of attorneys ready to provide the guidance you need to navigate the aftermath of a Lyft accident successfully. Our firm has years of experience helping clients in Los Angeles resolve all types of vehicle accident cases, including rideshare accidents. While you may think that you have a firm grasp of what to expect from your recovery, it is always advisable to work with a seasoned attorney if you intend to secure maximum compensation for your damages.

How to Prove the Other Party’s Liability for a Lyft Accident in Los Angeles, CA

Just like any other vehicle accident case, a rideshare accident case requires the plaintiff to prove fault for their damages. They must identify the party who caused the accident, prove that they held a duty of care that they breached in some way, and show proof of the full extent of the damages resulting from this breached duty of care. Rideshare accidents happen for many reasons, including:

• This is one of the most commonly cited causes of accidents throughout Los Angeles. Speeding not only increases the risk of an accident happening but also the severity of the resulting damages. Excessive speeding can also lead to reckless driving charges. Vehicle computer data can usually show how fast a vehicle was moving during the moments leading up to a detected collision.
• Distracted driving. All drivers have a duty of care to operate their vehicles attentively and to refrain from distracting activities behind the wheel. Cell phone use while driving continues to be a problem and a consistent cause of accidents throughout the state despite its ban on cell phone use while driving without the assistance of hands-free devices. If you believe a distracted driver caused your rideshare accident, your attorney can help you gather evidence, like their cell phone records and traffic camera recordings, to prove they were not paying attention to the road when they caused your accident.
• Moving violations. Failure to yield the right-of-way, illegal turns, running through red lights and stop signs, and failure to navigate intersections correctly are just a few types of moving violations that can easily cause accidents. Traffic camera video and eyewitness statements are often used to prove fault for these accidents in the Los Angeles area.
• Driving under the influence (DUI). It is illegal for anyone to operate a vehicle while intoxicated. A conviction for DUI can lead to penalties like heavy fines, loss of driving privileges, and incarceration. These penalties increase significantly if the defendant has prior DUI offenses on their record and/or if they hurt or killed someone while driving impaired.

These are only a few possible ways for rideshare accidents to happen. No matter how you believe your recent accident happened, it is crucial to know what to do in the immediate aftermath of the accident so you can preserve your ability to recover from your damages.

A reliable Los Angeles rideshare accident attorney is the ideal resource to consult after any rideshare accident. They can help you gather the evidence you need to prove liability for the crash and guide you through the process of recovering your damages. Rideshare accidents are unique compared to other types of vehicle accidents, as a victim may need to file more than one insurance claim initially, one against the at-fault driver and another against the rideshare company’s policy. Your attorney can help you make clearer sense of your situation and guide you through the insurance claim filing process.

What to Expect From Auto Insurance After a Lyft Accident in Los Angeles, CA

You have a limited time in which to file an auto insurance claim after any motor vehicle accident in Los Angeles, typically only a few days. California’s fault rule means that you must file your claim against the driver who caused the accident. Rideshare drivers in Los Angeles are required to maintain their own personal auto insurance, and this insurance comes into play if a rideshare driver causes an accident. Whether the rideshare company’s insurance will factor into the victim’s recovery process depends on the timing of the accident.

Lyft and other rideshare companies must have insurance that can help an injured accident victim recover when an at-fault driver’s insurance does not include enough coverage to fully compensate for their losses. Rideshare insurance typically functions in two ways based on the timing of when an accident happens.

If the rideshare driver is using their vehicle for personal reasons and they are not logged into their driver app, their own insurance applies if they cause an accident. The rideshare company’s insurance does not activate until they log into their driver app and mark themselves as available for a passenger’s ride request. Once they do this, the first level of the rideshare company’s insurance applies if they cause an accident, providing up to $50,000 in bodily injury liability coverage for a single person, up to $100,000 in bodily injury coverage for a single accident, and up to $25,000 to cover property damage.

After a rideshare driver picks up a passenger, the next level of coverage comes into play until they drop the passenger at their destination. This level provides up to $1 million in third-party liability coverage. In most cases, the at-fault driver’s personal insurance must be used first before the injured victim can file a claim against the rideshare company’s insurance policy.

Dealing with any insurance company can be very challenging, as most insurance company representatives will do everything they can to justify the denial of a claim or the lowest possible settlement offer. However, while some insurance company representatives even go as far as to engage in intentional bad-faith handling of a claim, they are less likely to do so when a claimant has legal representation. Once an insurance company notices that you have legal counsel on your side, they will be more inclined to process your claim in good faith.

Building Your Personal Injury Case for a Rideshare Accident in Los Angeles, CA

Insurance may not fully cover the extent of the damages you suffered in your recent accident. Even if you have the ability to claim against the policy of the at-fault driver and the rideshare company, you could have outstanding damages that you can only secure through a personal injury claim against the at-fault driver. Under California’s personal injury statutes, you have two years from the date of your accident in which to file your personal injury claim.

Success with any personal injury case in Los Angeles requires close attention to detail and strong supporting evidence. You need to accurately identify the defendant responsible for causing your damages and then go on to prove the full extent of those damages. Additionally, you must also be prepared to prove that your damages solely resulted from the defendant’s negligence or misconduct and not some other cause.

If the defendant caused your Lyft accident through any intentional misconduct, they are likely to face criminal prosecution along with your civil claim for damages. This could influence your recovery in various ways, such as restitution awarded by the criminal court sentencing judge or a civil judge awarding you punitive damages. Conversely, if you were driving your own vehicle and contributed to causing the accident, this will negatively impact your award and result in a smaller recovery.

Claimable Damages in Your Personal Injury Case in Los Angeles, CA

The purpose of a personal injury suit is for a plaintiff to hold a defendant accountable for their negligence or intentional misconduct, securing compensation for the damages the defendant caused. You may have some grasp of the damages you can seek from the party responsible for your rideshare accident, but it is advisable to consult a seasoned Los Angeles rideshare accident attorney if you want to have the greatest chance of maximizing the compensation you win from your case.

Most personal injury claims filed enable plaintiffs to recover their economic losses, which are likely to include:

• Property damage. If the defendant damaged or destroyed any of your property, like your home, your vehicle, or anything else, you can cite these losses as economic damages in your personal injury suit.
• Medical expenses. If you suffered physical injuries because of the defendant’s actions, you have the right to seek accountability for the cost of the medical care needed to recover. The plaintiff is liable for both immediate and future care if you suffered serious injuries that will demand long-term rehabilitative treatment. Your Los Angeles rideshare accident attorney can speak with medical providers to ensure you account for all of your claimable medical expenses in your impending civil case.
• Lost wages. Many people who suffer serious injuries in Los Angeles vehicle accidents cannot work as they recover. If this applies to your case, you can hold the defendant accountable for any income you were unable to earn due to their actions. Additionally, if the accident caused any permanent harm that prevents you from being able to work in the future, it is possible to recover compensation for the future income you can no longer earn.

The right attorney can make calculating your total immediate and future economic damages much easier. In addition to these financial damages, you also have the right to hold the defendant accountable for the pain and suffering they inflicted.

Calculating Pain and Suffering in a Los Angeles Personal Injury Case

Most people are likely to struggle when trying to determine a fair monetary value for intangible damages like physical pain, psychological trauma, and emotional distress. Your Los Angeles rideshare accident attorney can assist you in determining a suitable amount to reflect these losses, accounting for both the immediate and future complications you are likely to face, along with an overall assessment of the agony you experienced from the event. For example, a plaintiff who has suffered severe, permanently disabling injuries is likely to secure more pain and suffering compensation than a plaintiff expected to make a full recovery.

Attorneys typically use two main methods to determine appropriate pain and suffering compensation for their clients. First is the per diem method, which focuses on the number of days it takes the client to fully recover. The attorney multiplies a daily rate by the number of days the plaintiff spends recovering. For example, if the attorney determines $300 to be a fair daily rate and it takes 150 days for the plaintiff to fully recover, this will amount to $45,000 in pain and suffering compensation.

The second method is the multiplier method, which is more commonly used for plaintiffs who have sustained life-changing injuries. The attorney multiplies their client’s total economic damages by a number to represent the serious nature of their damage, usually one to five. If, for example, the plaintiff is seeking $500,000 in economic damages and sustained a permanent injury, their attorney is likely to seek several times this amount to reflect the seriousness of their pain and suffering.

Resolving Your Lyft Accident Claim in Los Angeles, CA

Other variables can also come into play and influence the final outcome of a personal injury case. For example, if you were riding as a passenger in a Lyft driver’s vehicle, you are unlikely to be accused of any partial liability for the accident. However, if you were driving your own vehicle and got into an accident with a Lyft driver, the other driver may claim comparative fault.

California upholds the pure comparative negligence rule, meaning it is possible for more than one party to bear fault for the damages cited in a personal injury claim, and each party will have a fault percentage assigned by a judge. If a plaintiff bears a fault percentage, this percentage is deducted from their case award as a penalty, and they keep the remainder. For example, if a case is worth $500,000 but the plaintiff bears 20% fault, they lose 20% of their compensation, which in this example would be $100,000.

It is also possible for a defendant to owe a plaintiff punitive damages or restitution if they caused the accident through some illegal misconduct. Ultimately, many variables could come into play in a rideshare accident claim and influence the victim’s final compensation. Having the right attorney on your side makes a tremendous impact on the final outcome of your case, and The attorneys at Heimanson & Wolf, LLP, are ready to provide the legal counsel you need in this difficult situation. The sooner you reach out to our team, the more time we have to help build a compelling case.

We know you are likely to have lots of pressing legal questions in the aftermath of your Lyft accident, and time is a crucial factor to consider when you want to preserve your recovery as much as the law allows. Every rideshare accident case is unique, and every plaintiff will have different concerns as they approach the legal proceedings ahead of them. The attorneys at Heimanson & Wolf, LLP, believe in individualized legal counsel, taking time to learn each client’s story and providing carefully tailored representation specific to each client’s needs. We are ready to guide you through a complex insurance claim filing process and help build a personal injury claim if necessary to ensure the fullest recovery possible from your Lyft accident.

FAQs About Los Angeles, CA Lyft Accident Law

Is Lyft Liable for Accidents Its Drivers Cause?

Technically, no, the driver who caused the accident is liable for the resulting damages. However, Lyft is legally required to have additional insurance protection that can come into play when their driver’s insurance does not fully cover a victim’s damages. Rideshare company insurance applies at different levels depending on the timing of an accident. An experienced Los Angeles rideshare accident attorney can help you determine the optimal way to recover as much as possible through auto insurance after a Lyft accident or other rideshare accident in Los Angeles.

How Much Compensation Can I Recover From a Rideshare Accident Claim?

State law allows you to seek full compensation for all damages another party caused in a car accident. Damages cited in rideshare accidents are similar to those cited in all other types of vehicle accidents and may include property damage, medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Other variables could influence the total value of your claim, and it is important to consult an experienced Los Angeles rideshare accident attorney as soon as possible after an accident for an assessment of your claim’s potential value.

Must I Hire a Lawyer After a Lyft Accident?

You are not legally required to hire legal representation to help you recover from a rideshare accident. However, you are more likely to maximize the results of your recovery efforts with an experienced attorney’s help. Your attorney can make all aspects of your recovery process easier to confront and more likely to generate the results you hope to see. Ultimately, you have the greatest chance of success with your insurance claims and a subsequent personal injury claim when you have legal counsel you can trust.

How Do I Prove Liability for Lyft Car Accidents in Los Angeles?

Proving liability for your recent rideshare accident will follow the same general format as proving fault for any other motor vehicle accident. You must identify the driver responsible for the crash and prove they were negligent or intentionally harmful in some way that directly resulted in your claimed damages. Your Los Angeles rideshare accident attorney can help you obtain traffic camera footage, vehicle computer data, eyewitness statements, and any other evidence you will need to prove fault for your accident and hold the appropriate party or parties accountable for the harm they’ve done.

Will I Win a Larger Case Award if I Hire a Los Angeles Rideshare Accident Attorney?

Hiring legal counsel that you can trust will significantly improve your chances of maximizing your award as much as state law allows. The average person may be able to account for immediately recognizable economic losses like their vehicle repair costs and medical expenses, but calculating long-term damages like lost future earning capacity and ongoing medical treatment costs for severe injuries can be much more challenging. You are more likely to win your case and maximize the total compensation you obtain when you have legal counsel on your side.

The attorneys at Heimanson & Wolf, LLP, have helped many past clients in the Los Angeles area with all types of vehicle accident claims, including rideshare accident cases. We know the various legal challenges that could lie between you and your recovery, and we know how to help you overcome them. Our firm has a strong reputation as a top choice for personal injury counsel in the Los Angeles area, and we are ready to put our experience, resources, and skills to work for you. Contact us today and schedule your consultation with a Los Angeles rideshare accident attorney to learn more about the legal services we offer.