WHEELING LYFT ACCIDENT ATTORNEY

Popular rideshare company, Lyft, is thriving in West Virginia and providing quick and convenient transportation to our residents as an alternative to public transportation. Lyft regularly touts the safety it brings to communities by offering safe rides for people who have been drinking. So Lyft is protecting our residents by keeping them safe from their own unsafe driving, but what happens when you are injured in a Lyft accident caused by a Lyft driver’s negligence? Is Lyft doing enough to keep our residents safe in the hands of its own drivers?

LYFT SAFETY MEASURES

Lyft claims to have designed every aspect of the rideshare company with safety in mind, specifically in the following areas:

• Critical response line – Lyft provides a critical response line that allows passengers to call its trust and safety team 24 hours a day.
• Driver screening – Every driver is screened through third party background and DMV checks.
• Vehicle standards – Lyft has vehicle and driver age standards that vary by state.
• Zero-tolerance policy – It has a zero-tolerance drug and alcohol policy for its drivers.
• Two-way rating system – Drivers and passengers are encouraged to rate each other after a ride and they avoid matching the driver and passenger in the future if they give each other poor ratings.
• Insurance policy – Lyft often talks about its $1M liability policy, but it avoids talking about when and to whom it actually covers. See below for a further explanation.

LIABILITY AND INSURANCE COVERAGE

When you have been injured in a Lyft accident, you may assume that you will be covered by a Lyft insurance policy since it states that it has a $1M policy coverage, but there is some fine print in there as to whom is covered by it and in what circumstances. Lyft does not employ its drivers; instead it hires them as independent contractors, which means Lyft has significantly less liability for its drivers’ actions and conduct than it would if its drivers were classified as employees.

When people are injured in an accident caused by a Lyft driver, sorting through liability and insurance can be difficult, but our Wheeling Lyft accident attorneys at Shenderovich, Shenderovich & Fishman can help. We will review your case and conduct an investigation to determine which party/insurance claim we should pursue on your behalf.

Questions we may ask when investigating your case to determine liability and insurance coverage include:

• Was the driver logged into the Lyft app at the time of the accident?
• Had the driver accepted a Lyft ride at the time the accident occurred?
• Was the Lyft driver in compliance with Lyft’s drive time limits?
• Was a thorough background check conducted on the driver prior to hiring including his or her driving history and criminal record?
• Does the driver have sufficient insurance coverage that complies with West Virginia law?

If you have been injured in a Lyft accident, contact a Wheeling Lyft accident attorney at Shenderovich, Shenderovich & Fishman. We are well versed in West Virginia rideshare law, Lyft’s policies, and insurance coverage requirements. We are also skilled insurance negotiators and we will not advise you to accept an insurance settlement offer that does not fully compensate you for your injuries and damages. We are not afraid to take your case to trial when insurance companies are being unreasonable.