People like to joke around about Lyft being Uber’s charming younger sibling. And at least between the two companies’ market value, they are, with $4.1 billion in revenue compared to Uber’s $31.88 billion.
Despite having a much smaller slice of the passenger pie, however, Lyft does have a large user base and is still hailed for its service. People who prefer Lyft will laud that it is safer and friendlier than its competition, and there is some evidence of that.
But we’re not here to talk about which one is our favorite rideshare. We’re here to talk about what happens when you get hurt in an accident involving a rideshare.
Despite Lyft’s reputation for safety, drivers are still human, and accidents do occur. Whether you are a passenger booking a Lyft, a pedestrian, or someone in another car entirely, the odds of an accident are never zero.
And any accident has the potential to leave you or a loved one with a serious injury. And, of course, any accident can cost people their lives.
At Valley Law Accident and Injury Lawyers, lead attorney Brigham Richard brings over ten years of experience in personal injury cases to the table, all to make sure you – our clients – get fair compensation for the tragedy of an accident.
Maximizing Your Chances With a Salt Lake City Lyft Accident Attorney
Working with a Lyft accident lawyer dramatically increases your chances of getting a larger settlement from an insurance company than working alone. A lot of the time, your lawyer can handle the entire process in your stead so you can focus on your recovery.
That said, while a competent Lyft accident attorney can get great results when working for you, some clients want to keep a closer eye on the case and have a firsthand effect on its progress.
For the more hands-on client, here are some ways you can contribute to building a strong case to maximize your claim.
Account for All Your Symptoms and Injuries
Plenty of car accident victims fail to account for every injury they sustained. This often happens because victims make a mental tally of any readily visible or observable damage to their bodies immediately after the accident but tend to stop there.
Victims might opt to ignore smaller “mild” injuries such as bruises, bumps, cuts, or scrapes. Other times, injuries might only present their symptoms weeks or even months later, with victims failing to see a connection between the symptoms and the accident.
The latter example is often the case with brain injury or with micro-tears in tendons and ligaments. Without a medical professional taking a look at the damage, these injuries can worsen over time and lead to dangerous complications.
This is why after an accident, the best practice is to examine yourself for injuries, then others, and then call emergency services to your location. Medical professionals are far more likely to be able to identify problems than you, especially once you arrive at a hospital.
Take Photos of Your Injuries and Damages
Photos are some of the strongest forms of evidence to support your claim. When the insurance company’s adjuster reviews your case, they will go through every photo you have to determine if what they contain lines up with your claim.
If you can take photographs at the scene of the accident before leaving with authorities or medical service providers, do so. But also, only do so without putting yourself at risk of further injury and only after having checked yourself for injuries in the first place.
If other people are documenting the accident, you may also ask them for copies of the photographs. Doing so puts you at less risk of sustaining additional injuries than taking a photo yourself.
The insurance adjuster will try to account for whatever injuries are on record. But if they suspect you worsened things through your own actions, they may decide to reduce your total payout.
Finally, we mentioned how some injuries are not readily or immediately observable. If doctors find any such injuries during your checkup at the hospital, try to take pictures when possible.
Now, a strict photograph might not cut it if the injury occurs in deep tissues or organs. In these cases, secure a copy of whatever scan can prove the damage.
X-rays, MRIs, and other such scans will more than serve the same purpose as photographs.
Track Your Health Expenses
Take note of whatever injury your doctor recommends treatment for, as well as what treatment they recommend. This includes not just immediate medical procedures such as stitches, casts, or braces but also any physical therapy needed for a full recovery.
Let’s take traction, for example. Traction is a treatment involving stretching the spine that is intended as a treatment for a variety of back problems, and at $15 to $32 per session, isn’t generally thought of as an expensive procedure.
But say your Lyft accident led to an injured spine and tailbone, and you have to go for 50 sessions of traction to relieve pain. That is now between $750 and $1,600 of guaranteed additional medical expenses over the course of several months.
Add that on top of any medications plus the medical bills immediately after the accident, and you can see how it all starts to pile up.
The point is, keep track of every procedure you go through. If the crash was bad enough to have a significant psychological impact on you, then you can even include psychological therapy among your expenses.
Keep Documentation Related to Lost Wages
If your injuries were severe enough to temporarily – or, in the worst of cases, permanently – stop you from working, you’re going to lose out on wages. Keep track of how much income you are losing out on and include them in your claim.
Lost wages are considered economic damages in Salt Lake City personal injury claims; that is, quantifiable damages, just like your medical expenses. They are fairly easy to calculate by subtracting what you earned after the injury from what you normally earn in the same time span.
If your injuries take a long time to recover, for example, in the case of broken bones or nerve damage, you can also estimate how much income you stand to lose before recovery. As long as it’s a reasonable estimate, the insurance company will likely not exclude it.
What Insurance Policy Does Lyft Have?
Lyft works with seven insurance partners to provide their drivers with insurance protection.
- Allstate Insurance Company
- Liberty Mutual Insurance
- Mobilitas Insurance Company
- Progressive
- State Farm Insurance Company
- Travelers
Drivers who work for Lyft have third-party liability insurance of at least one million dollars during rides and en route to rides. Drivers have lower coverage if the accident occurs while waiting for a ride request, at $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for injury.
Lyft’s partners may also maintain coverage not required by Utah law. Where applicable, drivers may have uninsured or underinsured motorist protection, for instance.
The policy is pretty much the same in scope as Uber’s, which makes sense considering they are direct competitors. Unfortunately, this means while coverage leans toward the more generous side as far as car accident insurance is concerned, it also has the same caveat.
Lyft’s insurance only applies if the driver’s personal insurance does not apply. This means you will first have to file a claim with the driver’s insurance company before you can pursue compensation from Lyft.
Also, because Utah is a no-fault state, all drivers have to seek compensation from their own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) policy before looking for alternative means of recompense.
This implies that if you are a driver yourself, you might have to go through the process twice if PIP is not enough to pay for your medical bills – thrice if the driver’s personal insurance provider denies your claim.
On the bright side, this poses less of a problem if you are a pedestrian or a passenger.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that because of the amount of money Lyft backs its drivers with, the company has had false insurance claims filed against them. As a direct result, Lyft tends to handle any claim with a grain of salt and fight to what extent they can to minimize the payout.
While understandable, this is obviously not in your favor. And this is where an expert Lyft accident lawyer can provide their services.
Trust Valley Law, Your Salt Lake City Lyft Accident Law Firm
While Lyft has the resources to compensate you for your car accident, the process of getting value out of that claim usually comes with hurdles and obstacles thrown your way. Be it in the form of the driver, the insurance provider, or Lyft itself, things rarely go smoothly.
Work with our car accident lawyer in Salt Lake City at Valley Law Accident and Injury Lawyers to ensure you get the settlement you deserve. Whether you are looking for justice, recompense, or just a feeling of relief after your accident, we’re here to put you first.
Contact us today for a free case evaluation and get started with your claim. Call 801-810-9999, or reach out to us online by filling out our contact form found here.
