Rideshare services such as Lyft and Uber can make travel more convenient by allowing you to request a ride from almost anywhere. However, pressures on rideshare drivers may sometimes affect how safely they drive in heavy traffic.
If you or someone you care about suffered injuries in a car accident involving a rideshare driver, you may need to file a personal injury lawsuit against one or more parties. At Singleton Schreiber, we can have an attorney advise you regarding important evidence in San Diego Lyft accident cases.
Filing a Car Accident Case
Car accidents can cause extensive property damage and serious injuries that result in expensive medical bills. These losses may exceed available insurance coverage, or an insurance company may offer a settlement that does not fully compensate the victim. In either situation, the victim may choose to pursue a lawsuit against the responsible parties. State law uses a pure comparative negligence standard, which allows accident victims to recover damages from other parties even if they are up to 99 percent at fault for the accident. However, a victim’s percentage of fault reduces the damages they may recover by the same proportion.
State law requires you to file a property damage claim within three years of the date the damage occurred. You must file a personal injury claim within two years of the accident date. Exceptions may apply to either deadline, so it is best to consult an attorney about the filing period and the evidence relevant to your Lyft collision claim in San Diego.
What Evidence Matters in a Lyft Accident Case?
Evidence from several sources may be important when a Lyft collision in San Diego leads to a legal claim, including:
- Photographs of the vehicles and crash scene
- Video footage from security cameras or dashboard cameras
- Vehicle data from black boxes or electronic data recorders
- Physical and forensic evidence such as debris patterns or skid marks
- Witness statements and contact information
- Police reports and other official documentation
- Medical records
You should gather and preserve this material as soon as possible after the crash. Depending on the circumstances, the rideshare company, driver, and other parties may each bear responsibility for the accident. This evidence could help reconstruct what happened, support your efforts to establish liability, and help the court allocate a percentage of responsibility to each party.
As the case progresses, you may also need financial records to document the harm you suffered. These may include medical bills, vehicle-repair invoices, receipts for rental cars or towing expenses, projections of future costs, and other documentation supporting your claim for damages. In some cases, expert witness testimony may also be necessary.
Contact Us To Discuss Evidence in Lyft Accident Cases in San Diego
Being in a car accident can be frightening and stressful, especially if you suffered injuries. You may also feel pressure to accept a settlement you do not fully understand, particularly when dealing with a rideshare company.
At Singleton Schreiber, we can help you understand the evidence in San Diego Lyft accident cases and how it may affect your claim. Contact us to discuss your situation and how we can assist you.