Santa Rosa Lyft Accident Attorney

If you’ve been injured in a Lyft rideshare accident in Santa Rosa, California, reach out to the award-winning legal team at Singleton Schreiber. You have rights as the victim of a rideshare accident, but the path to getting compensation can be full of challenges. Focus on your recovery by trusting our experienced Santa Rosa Lyft accident attorneys to take charge of your fight for compensation.

Singleton Schreiber puts nationally acclaimed civil trial lawyers with decades of collective experience in your corner. Our local lawyers will advocate fearlessly for your rights, going toe-to-toe with the insurance company and anyone else who attempts to stand between you and the monetary award you need to pay for your medical bills, lost wages, and other Lyft accident damages.

We have the knowledge, skills, and experience you’ll need to achieve the best results. It’s why we’ve successfully obtained more than $3 Billion for clients like you. Contact our Santa Rosa, CA, law office to schedule your free consultation now.

Understanding Liability For Lyft Rideshare Accidents in Santa Rosa, CA

Lyft accidents aren’t like other types of car accidents in Santa Rosa. One of the most important distinctions is that Lyft vehicles are driven commercially. Lyft is paid in exchange for providing a ride from one place to another. 

When a fare-based vehicle is involved in a Santa Rosa traffic accident, things get complicated - especially liability. Several parties can be involved - including the Lyft rideshare driver, drivers of other vehicles involved in the crash, Lyft passengers, pedestrians, vehicle manufacturers, and even government entities. Of course, the insurance companies for all of these parties are likely to get involved, too.

Interestingly, vicarious liability typically won’t apply in Lyft accident cases since Lyft drivers are independent contractors. Simply put, this means you cannot file a lawsuit directly against Lyft when one of its drivers causes a car accident in Santa Rosa.

Instead, you can file a lawsuit against the negligent Lyft driver (or another liable party) or seek insurance benefits from their personal insurance company. Lyft is, however, legally required to maintain insurance policies to protect you if you get into an accident while you’re a passenger or a third party that’s involved in a crash with one of its rideshare vehicles.

So, you could potentially recover compensation from Lyft’s insurance carrier, too. However, there are limits regarding how and when Lyft’s insurance benefits are applicable.

Lyft’s insurance will apply when a rideshare driver for the company:

• Is actively waiting for a ride request through the rideshare app, or
• Has accepted a ride request and is en route to pick up a passenger or is currently in the middle of a trip.

The rideshare company’s insurance policies are secondary to other policies. You’ll have to exhaust the benefits available under the at-fault Lyft driver’s personal policy before Lyft’s insurance company will pay for your crash-related damages. If the Lyft driver maintained the minimum required insurance coverage under California law, this means you’ll have to have damages exceeding $30,000 in bodily injury and/or $15,000 in property damage to tap into Lyft’s corporate policies.

What Causes Lyft Rideshare Accidents in Santa Rosa?

It’s important to acknowledge that while Lyft drivers drive commercially, they’re not held to the same standards as other commercial drivers in the state of California. There are no heightened duties of care or licensing requirements. As a result, there is no guarantee that a Lyft driver is a good or safe motorist. 

Further, Lyft drivers, like other drivers for Uber and other rideshare companies, are likely to be:

• Distracted by their cell phones, GPS, passengers, and other factors while working
• Drowsy or fatigued since driving for the rideshare service is probably a supplemental source of income (meaning they may have already put in a full day’s work elsewhere)
• Inclined to speed, tailgate, make unsafe lane changes, ignore traffic signals, and engage in other aggressive maneuvers at the wheel since their income is based, in part, on the number of rides they can complete in a shift
• Impaired by drugs or alcohol that might help them cope with the stresses of the job

All of these things can significantly increase the odds of causing a car accident in a busy city like Santa Rosa, especially if the driver isn’t too familiar with local traffic laws and patterns.

What Compensation Can I Get After a Lyft Accident?

You’ll be able to file a legal claim to get compensatory damages after a Lyft car accident in Santa Rosa.

Compensatory damages, which include economic awards for your financial costs and non-economic awards for your harder-to-value trauma, can help with:

• Current and future medical expenses
• Rehabilitation
• Out-of-pocket expenses
• Therapy
• Property damage
• Lost wages and disability
• Funeral expenses if a Lyft accident is fatal
• Pain and suffering
• Reduced quality of life
• Loss of consortium
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Inconvenience

The more serious your Lyft accident injuries, the more you can usually expect your personal injury case to be worth. Hiring an experienced California Lyft accident lawyer in Santa Rosa can help to ensure you win your case and maximize your recovery.

Why Should I Hire Singleton Schreiber After a Lyft Accident in Santa Rosa?

Lyft passengers, bystanders, and occupants of other vehicles can sustain severe physical trauma and suffer from debilitating emotional distress in an auto accident. You deserve compensation when the Lyft driver or another third party is to blame for your wreck. However, taking on multiple insurance companies and navigating a complex legal claim for damages can be tough.

Hiring an experienced Santa Rosa car accident attorney with demonstrated experience handling rideshare accident cases can make life easier. 

Choosing Singleton Schreiber can offer the tools you need to maximize your recovery.

We’ll invest our law firm’s national resources into investigating your Lyft accident, gathering relevant evidence, consulting expert witnesses, and building a claim that forces the defense to take action and make things right. If you’re given a lowball settlement offer, our top-rated California trial attorneys will be more than ready to bring your lawsuit to a Sonoma County jury.

You’ll have a limited time to file a Lyft injury claim, so contact our Santa Rosa law office for help today.