Who Is At Fault in a Lyft Accident?

You must file a claim against the correct responsible party if you were injured in a Lyft accident. Part of the challenge is that each insurance company may deny that their policyholder was to blame for the accident. You need an experienced attorney to investigate the accident and help determine the liable party.

If you were a passenger in the Lyft car, you could sue either the driver or the other car’s driver. People often make the mistake of thinking that you can only sue the Lyft driver. Another driver could be at fault.

You would need to establish which one of the two was at fault for the accident before you file a claim. There is a possibility that both drivers may share in the responsibility, and you could file a claim against both policies.

Proving Fault in a Lyft Accident

If you are another driver involved in an accident with a Lyft driver, you must prove they were responsible for the crash. You would need the evidence that proves exactly what they did.

The general principle in any car accident case is that you must prove negligence. Negligence means that the driver did something considered unreasonable under the circumstances. You would need to demonstrate that they breached their duty of care.

Your attorney would collect evidence demonstrating the individual driver’s fault. This proof could include:

• Witness testimony from people who saw the accident.
• Pictures from the scene of the accident.
• The police report written by the officer who came to the scene.
• Testimony from an accident reconstruction expert, who gives their opinion on the cause of the crash.
• Dashcam footage from a driver involved or someone near the crash.

You Can File a Claim Against the Insurance Policy

If the Lyft driver was to blame for the accident, you may file a claim against Lyft’s insurance policy. The company maintains $1 million of coverage once the driver has accepted a ride request or has a passenger in the car. The rideshare driver may have purchased supplemental coverage to protect themselves because they could be personally liable. If there is insufficient money to pay your damages, you could file a claim with your insurance policy under your underinsured motorist coverage.

Contact a New Jersey Lyft Accident Attorney at Kitrick, McWeeney & Wells, LLC

A New Jersey Lyft accident attorney at Kitrick, McWeeney & Wells, LLC can fight for your legal rights if you have been injured in a rideshare accident. The first step is to contact us to speak to a lawyer. Call 732-800-9474 or complete our online form to schedule a free consultation. Located in Manasquan and Brick, New Jersey, we serve clients in Middlesex County, Atlantic County, Mercer County, Monmouth County, and Ocean County.