If you were involved in a Lyft accident, you have the right to pursue damages against the responsible party. These damages could range from medical expenses to car repairs. As every Lyft accident is unique, the types of damages you qualify for depend on the specifics of your case.
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Insurance And Damages In A Lyft Accident
In Florida, drivers must carry personal injury protection (PIP) insurance with a minimum limit of $10,000. This type of insurance will cover your medical expenses after a car accident, regardless of fault. However, this coverage has an 80% limit and cannot exceed $10,000.
Therefore, to receive additional compensation for other damages, like mental anguish, you must use different approaches.
The No-Fault Threshold In Florida
Florida classifies as a no-fault insurance state, which prevents you from filing an insurance claim with the other driver’s provider unless you’ve suffered a serious injury. If you haven’t suffered a serious injury, you can only rely on your own PIP insurance.
The following types of injuries are considered “serious” per Florida Statutes § 627.737:
- Significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function
- Permanent injury within a reasonable degree of medical probability, other than scarring or disfigurement
- Significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement
- Death
I Passed The No-Fault Threshold. What Are My Options?
If you suffered a serious injury, you could seek additional damages beyond your PIP limit. To do so, you must:
- File a liability insurance claim: Liability insurance covers other drivers if you were at fault. Individual drivers aren’t required to carry this form of insurance in Florida. However, Lyft drivers are provided with liability insurance by their employer. This means that if a Lyft driver was responsible for your injuries, you could file a claim against their liability insurer.
- File a lawsuit: Insurance claims don’t always produce desirable outcomes. If insurance negotiations fall through and you’ve suffered a serious injury, you could file a lawsuit against the party responsible for your car accident injuries.
Both approaches require proving that another party is responsible for your injuries. However, Florida adheres to comparative negligence law, meaning you can still receive compensation if you were under 50% responsible for your accident.
Lyft Accident Damages
In cases that pass the no-fault threshold, the following types of damages are available:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity
- Property damages, like car repair expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Wrongful death damages
These damages vary depending on the context of a crash. For example, if you have an injury requiring lifelong treatment, you’ll more likely receive more compensation. Similarly, not every damage noted here applies. If your car somehow was unscathed after an accident, you won’t qualify for property damages. As a rule, damages directly correspond to your losses’ economic and emotional toll.
How Much Will I Receive?
The amount you receive hinges on several factors, including:
- The type and severity of your injuries
- The economic cost of your damages
- Whether you’re filing a PIP claim, a liability claim, or a lawsuit
- The outcome of insurance negotiations or a lawsuit
- The legal team you choose to work with
Another aspect to consider in Lyft accidents is crash context. Lyft’s liability insurance applies differently based on how an accident played out:
- The app is on, and drivers are waiting for pick-up requests: Lyft provides up to $100,000 in personal injury liability per accident and $25,000 in property damage liability.
- The app is on, and drivers are en-route to a pick-up or actively carrying passengers: Lyft provides up to $1 million in total accident liability. This coverage applies to personal injury and property damage.
What Should I Do After A Lyft Accident?
After a Lyft accident, there are several steps you can take that could improve the viability of your case. They include the following:
- Gather evidence: Images, the contact information of involved drivers, and other pieces of evidence are all essential after a Lyft accident. The more information about your accident you can gather, the better.
- Seek medical attention: Seeing a doctor confers two benefits. First, it ensures you receive a diagnosis and treatment plan for your injuries. Second, it provides verifiable documentation of your injuries. It can be challenging to prove that injured without medical records.
- Considering working with a lawyer: A Lyft accident lawyer can manage every aspect of your case. They can investigate the details of your accident, work towards identifying the responsible party and pursue compensation on your behalf. Many Lyft accident lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you may not need to pay anything upfront.
Work With a Lyft Accident Lawyer
At the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine, we’ve won millions of dollars in compensation for our car accident clients. We’re here to give you peace of mind and help you make sense of the aftermath of your Lyft car accident. As a legal team, we aren’t afraid to stand up to big insurance companies, and if needed, we can file a lawsuit on your behalf.
Contact our offices today for a free no-obligation case evaluation.
We Can Help.
