Lyft Accident Lawyer

Personal Injury Lawyers / Lyft Accident Lawyer

Our Lyft Accident Attorneys Can Fight For Your Rights

If you were involved in an accident with a Lyft driver, your first call should be to a Lyft accident lawyer at Munley Law. With over 60 years of experience, we understand the issues surrounding these types of car accidents. We will make sure you get compensation for your injuries from the at-fault driver and help you on the path to recovery.

Don't wait. Schedule a free consultation with our Lyft accident attorney today to start the claims process.

What is Ridesharing?

Ridesharing is a service that directly connects drivers with passengers who need transportation services. The idea is as old as the 1990s when small start-ups generated a new way to help people find carpooling partners – literally “ride sharing”. However, ridesharing as we now know it was pioneered in 2009 by Uber. This was followed closely by the introduction of Lyft in 2012.

Rideshare apps have revolutionized the way that people travel short distances. Ridesharing fills a gap where there is a lack of taxi services or public transportation in smaller suburban and rural areas. Ridesharing has created a more direct and convenient method to connect drivers and passengers in larger metropolitan areas. Uber and Lyft are the two largest ridesharing services in the United States.

The popularity of these apps has been steadily growing with Lyft's annual revenue for 2021 sitting at $3.2 billion, a 35.68% increase from 2020. In 2021, Lyft had 1.4 million active drivers on US roads.

Some quick Lyft facts:

• Almost 30% of customers (passengers) used Lyft to access healthcare services in 2019
• More than four in ten Lyft rides start or end in low-income areas
• In the last quarter of 2021, Lyft had 18.73 million active customers
• There was a 13% revenue increase between the second and third quarter of 2021
• Lyft's net worth is around $14.93 billion
• In the third quarter of 2021, Lyft's total assets were $4.82 billion
• In the first quarter of 2019, Lyft had 4.5 million app installs
• Lyft works in 644 cities across the United States
• Lyft insures each individual driver with $1 million of insurance

Recently, Lyft finished out the year with 23 million active users and 3.6 billion in revenue. These innovative rideshare apps are changing how we think about transportation.

Who is At Fault in Pennsylvania Lyft Rideshare Accident Cases?

A Lyft accident is treated differently than an accident with a normal vehicle or traditional commercial vehicle. Most Pennsylvania rideshare companies, including Lyft, have some type of liability insurance for their drivers.

As a passenger, any injuries you sustain in a rideshare accident will likely be covered by Lyft's insurance policy. But often, Lyft still chooses to fight the claim and denies liability. This can occur even if the driver is at fault and on duty when the accident occurs.

Rideshare companies help millions of Pennsylvanians get to work, restaurants, doctors' appointments, and more. They are a constant presence on our roads, at airports, casinos, and at stadiums. However, when rideshare drivers cause an accident, it can be more difficult for victims to receive compensation than they would think.

Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys has more than six decades of experience fighting for the rights of accident victims. Our experienced Lyft accident attorney handles Lyft accident injury cases of all sizes. We have won hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for our clients.

Your Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys attorney will fight for you to get compensation for lost wages, doctors' visits and other medical bills, and pain and suffering.

What Damages Can You Receive Following a Lyft Accident?

Suppose you have been involved in an accident with a negligent Lyft driver. In that case, you may be entitled to financial compensation for economic and non-economic losses caused by the accident, such as:

• Repairs to your vehicle or a vehicle replacement
• Compensation for any loss of income due to the accident such as lost time at work for injury, pain, or doctors' visits
• Direct medical costs related to injury caused by the accident
• Pain and suffering resulting from the accident
• Loss of or damage to property as a result of the accident
• Other expenses that are related to the accident such as:
  • Cost of mental health treatment
  • Cost of physical therapy following an injury related to the accident
  • Cost of rental vehicles or other transportation costs due to loss or damage of your primary vehicle in the accident

To discover what compensation you may be entitled to, contact the experts at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys for a free consultation.

What Damages Might You Be Entitled to?

Damages in rideshare driver-related cases may be both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are objective, quantifiable damages and can include lost wages from missing work due to injury or doctor visits and subsequent medical bills. Non-economic damages are more subjective and can be more difficult to prove.

Having a qualified and experienced accident attorney on your side will help you understand what damages you may be entitled to, such as:

• Medical bills – Any medical expenses that were a result of the accident can be recovered in a Lyft car accident lawsuit. This includes ER visits, doctor's appointments, and long-term care.
• Lost wages – Any time that you missed work because of the accident. This includes both vacation time and PTO.
• Emotional distress also known as mental anguish – This is legally defined as “a highly unpleasant emotional reaction (as anguish, humiliation, or fury) which results from another's conduct and for which damages may be sought.”
• Pain and suffering – This can include physical and mental pain.
• Lost or diminished earning capacity – This can be any decrease in income as a result of an injury that affects your ability to continue doing your current job or robs you of career prospects for the future. If you have sustained an injury, you may experience diminished earning capacity.
• Permanent damages – These are any damages that indefinitely restrict you or your loved one's employment or other normal activities. In a lawsuit to recover damages caused by the negligence or intentional wrongful act of another, a permanent injury can be a major element in an award of general damages.
• Disabilities – Any damage that substantially reduces your capacity to engage in one or more major life activities of an individual.
• Psychological or psychiatric harm – This is defined as a psychological or psychiatric condition that developed as a result of a traumatic event. The condition is severe enough that it impacts your ability to perform routine life or work tasks. This can include loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium, and loss of companionship.

What Do I Do If I Am Involved in an Accident With a Lyft Driver?

In car accidents caused by Lyft drivers across the country, Lyft is usually not an applicable target for a lawsuit. In cases where a taxi driver, bus driver, truck driver, or other commercial driver causes a crash, you can usually sue their employer since the crash occurred during the course of their job duties. With Lyft, the driver is not actually an employee of the rideshare company, which allows the company to avoid liability for their drivers' errors.

In many cases, however, Lyft's insurance policy will cover the passengers' injuries as a result of the crash. Both Uber and Lyft have complex rules that dictate when their insurance policy covers a crash based on whether the driver has picked up or dropped off a rider. If their insurance policy does cover the crash, this can often help you get the compensation that the individual driver might not have been able to afford. However, drivers must also carry their own insurance, so there is usually some sort of insurance policy covering the crash if you do sue the driver.

Who Can I File a Claim With After a Lyft Accident?

In addition to the stress and trauma of a car accident, when you are dealing with the aftermath of a Lyft car accident you might have additional headaches dealing with extra paperwork and unfamiliar territory.

Injury victims from a Lyft car accident may have to deal with the headache of more paperwork and confusion following a collision. In an accident involving a Lyft vehicle, injury victims will have to make claims with their own insurance company, insurance policies of the drivers in the Lyft car and other vehicles, and separate insurance policies offered through Lyft.

Not only this but Lyft accident victims may have medical bills, time off of work due to injury or doctors' visits, loss of personal vehicles, and other stresses.

These added complications make it even more important to have an experienced Lyft accident lawyer on your side. Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys has been fighting for car accident victims for more than 60 years. Our experienced Lyft accident attorney has obtained the maximum compensation for injured victims.

Why Do Lyft Accidents Happen?

Rideshare apps like Lyft do background checks on their drivers. However, plenty of people with a clean driving history are susceptible to the same accident risks on the road.

Similar to car accidents, there are many reasons Lyft accidents happen. Some of the top reasons include:

• Unexperienced drivers. Lyft drivers receive no specialized training and many have no previous professional driving experience.
• Fatigued driving. Whether working multiple jobs, or working nights, many Lyft drivers get behind the wheel tired. This affects both alertness and reaction time, impairing a driver as much as being under the influence of alcohol.
• Distracted driving. Pennsylvania Lyft drivers use their phones for directions, tracking time, and arranging pick-ups.
• Driving too fast. Lyft drivers can feel pressured to speed, whether late to pick up a passenger, or fighting traffic to keep a passenger's schedule.
• Bad weather. Most drivers are more susceptible to accidents when navigating roads in inclement weather. If a driver is already on unfamiliar roads, or constantly looking at an app for directions, it can make it even riskier.

How Often Do Lyft Accidents Occur?

But these rideshare apps are also contributing to a rise in accidents. A recent study by researchers at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business finds that app-based rideshare services such as Lyft and Uber are associated with a 3 percent increase in vehicle-accident-related fatalities and fatal accidents on roads across the United States.

The research used the arrival dates of Lyft and Uber and reviewed the years from 2001-2016 before and after the advent of ride-sharing introduction in US metropolitan areas analyzing traffic volume, transportation choices, and total accidents.

The increase in accidents has remained steady through weekdays, weeknights, weekend days, and weekend nights, according to a recent paper authored by John Barrios, assistant professor at Chicago Booth; and Yale V. Hochberg and Hanyi Yi of Rice University.

From The Chicago News:

“…for perspective, while in 2010 the number of roadway deaths in the U.S. stood at 32,885 (the lowest level since 1949), that number increased to more than 37,400 in 2016. The authors find that the introduction of ride-hailing services in 2011 accounted for a roughly 3 percent annual increase in auto deaths nationwide, or 987 people each year.

Economic theory and the data point to many reasons for ride-hailing's contribution to the growth in traffic fatalities. Ride-hailing has put more cars on the road, and that has meant more accidents, injuries, and deaths involving drivers, passengers, bikers, and pedestrians, according to the study.”

Uber and Lyft need to keep large numbers of cars on the roads so they can get to riders quickly. The companies subsidize drivers to stay on the road between rides. As a result, ride-hailing drivers are often driving alone as they search for riders, resulting in more cars on the road than usual at any given time.

Per the Booth study and based on U.S. Department of Transportation estimates for the value of a statistical life, Booth found fatalities due to ride-hailing amount to about $10 billion. That figure does not include costs from non-fatal accidents.

How Can Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys Help With My Personal Injury Claim?

If you were injured in an accident with a Lyft driver, your first step should be to contact a Lyft accident attorney at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys. Insurance coverage for these kinds of accidents is complicated. We can make sure you receive the compensation you deserve for your injuries.

We handle anyone who was injured by a Lyft vehicle, including:

• The passenger in a Lyft vehicle
• A pedestrian that was hit by a Lyft vehicle
• A bicyclist that was hit by a Lyft vehicle
• A motorcyclist that was hit by a Lyft vehicle
• A driver involved in a two-or-more vehicle accident with a Lyft vehicle

Call, chat live, or fill out our contact form. There's no charge for the consultation, and we never take a fee unless we win your case.

What Should I Do if I Get Hit by a Lyft Driver?

Being in any car accident can be an overwhelming experience. Keep these few things in mind after a rideshare driver accident:

• First, call 911 and seek medical attention for yourself. Even if your injuries seem minor, they may become worse as time passes.
• If you are a passenger in a Lyft vehicle, download your trip information or take a screenshot of all of your trip details including your route, the driver's name, their vehicle information, your route, your pick-up and expected drop-off times.
• If you are a passenger in a Lyft vehicle, the Lyft app also records your driver's speed and location and braking information. Retrieve and record that data.
• Take down the names and badge numbers of any officers who reported to the scene.
• Lyft will have a representative attempt to speak to you about the accident; do not give any statements to Lyft representatives until you have spoken with an experienced lawyer.
• Do not give any statements to Lyft or their insurance companies.
• If possible, take photos of the scene and record any injuries or vehicle damage (if your car, motorcycle, or bike were involved).
• If you are a Lyft passenger, your accident can be and should also be reported in the Lyft app. Be careful what you write, this will become part of the record of your claim. You can also report the accident on Lyft's website by clicking the “Report an Accident” button on the site.
• As soon as you report your accident through the app or website, you will be prompted to share your phone number. Almost immediately, you will receive a phone call from a Lyft representative. Again, be careful what you say to Lyft. Once your claim is set up, Lyft will give you a claim/reference number. Keep a record of this number.
• Contact an experienced car accident lawyer as soon as possible. Even if you are still in the process of getting medical treatment an experienced car accident lawyer can help you navigate this challenging time and guide you through the next steps.

How Much Does an Experienced Lyft Lawyer Cost?

Our team of expert accident attorneys only takes a fee if we win you a settlement. You do not owe anything before your case is settled and it costs nothing to talk to one of our attorneys.
At Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys, we believe that all people should have equal access to the justice system, regardless of income. That's why our Lyft accident lawyers do not charge a fee for our services unless we win your case.  We cover all the upfront costs so that you don't have to pay anything out of pocket. Our contingency fee (a percentage of the accident settlement or verdict we obtain for you) will never exceed the total amount paid to you.

If we are unable to produce results for your car accident case, you owe us nothing. We want to make this hard time easier for you, not harder. That is why we do not have any fees unless your personal injury claim is won.

Get a Pennsylvania Lyft Accident lawyer at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys on Your Side

If you have been in an accident as a Lyft passenger or driver, you need to immediately report the incident through their app. After you report the accident, the next step is hiring an experienced Lyft rideshare accident lawyer. The company will have large legal teams, and the driver may be covered by these policies as well. An experienced Lyft rideshare lawyer will assist you in building your case to guarantee you get the compensation you deserve.