What Happens if a Lyft Driver is Unsafe?
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Published on May 31, 2022 at 7:09 pm in Lyft Accidents.
In recent years ridesharing services like Lyft have become more popular, with more people using these services every day in San Diego. Yet, as Lyft becomes more popular, it’s unsurprising that many accidents have occurred, with some involving cyclists. It’s true. Despite what you might have previously believed, Lyft drivers can hit cyclists.
Those involved in Lyft accidents often suffer a range of injuries, including whiplash, neck and back injuries, joint damage, broken bones, and lacerations. If you were a cyclist in a Lyft accident, you could be eligible to seek compensation.
To learn more about your rights in an accident involving a Lyft driver, you can seek legal counsel from a lawyer from the Ride App Law Group, LLP.
Below we have spoken about two common accident types seen between Lyft drivers and cyclists. If one of these accidents is similar to yours or you were involved in a different Lyft and cyclist accident, you can speak with us about your injuries and options.
Arguably the most common Lyft cyclist accident type is “dooring.” This accident often occurs when a Lyft driver or passenger of a Lyft opens his or her door in front of a cyclist. Since cyclists don’t have enough time to react, they often cycle into the door and sustain injuries.
Unfortunately, depending on how sudden a door was opened and how fast a cyclist was riding, dooring accidents can cause severe injuries and, in some instances, death.
According to California law, a Lyft driver has to be cautious when opening his or her food and is prohibited from opening his or her door in front of a cyclist. So if you were a cyclist hurt in a dooring accident, you could have a valid claim.
Usually, Lyft drivers will park as close as possible to the location where the rider requested to be picked up or dropped off. Unfortunately, this sometimes causes Lyft drivers to park on designated bike lanes.
These lanes are almost always found between the sidewalk and the traffic lane. When Lyft drivers park on a designated cyclist lane, it can cause chaos as cyclists are required to swerve and suddenly stop when an obstacle is in their path, often leading to accidents.
If you’re a cyclist, who a Lyft driver has hit, you’re likely wondering who is responsible for your injuries.
According to California law, since 2015, Lyft drivers, like other rideshare drivers, are required to carry $1 million in coverage for property damage, death, or personal injury. Yet, this coverage only applies if a Lyft driver accepts a rideshare assignment until the time the ride was completed at the time of your cyclist accident.
Let’s look at an example of when you could claim under this coverage below.
However, you should note that this insurance coverage will not always apply. For example, if a Lyft driver was looking for a fare at the time of your accident, you won’t be able to claim according to the $1 million coverage requirements. Yet, you might be able to pursue legal action against the driver and his private auto insurance if it can be proven that he was driving negligently.
As you can tell, Lyft cycling accidents are complex and can be incredibly difficult to navigate. This is why you should consider contacting a San Diego Lyft lawyer from the Ride App Law Group, LLP if you want to build a strong case.
Our firm will work alongside you and investigate your cycling accident’s circumstances to determine if you are eligible to claim from the Lyft coverage or the driver’s auto insurance.
If the driver does not have auto insurance, we can help you file a lawsuit against him or her. Get in touch with our attorneys so that we can begin the investigation and work towards obtaining your compensation.