Clearwater Lyft Accident Lawyer

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Have you been involved in a rideshare accident involving a Lyft driver in Clearwater, Florida?

Whether you were harmed as a Lyft passenger, pedestrian, or a passenger in another vehicle, you may be entitled to compensation from the at-fault party.

An experienced Clearwater Lyft accident lawyer at Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers is here to help you.

For decades, our legal team has recovered tens of millions of dollars for victims of bicycle accidents, Clearwater brain injuries, medical malpractice, taxi accidents, Clearwater Uber accidents, and more.

Our law office in Clearwater offers free consultations with a personal injury lawyer to help you explore your legal options and understand the strength of your case. Contact us today to request your no-obligation case review at (727) 787-2500.

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How Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help If You’ve Been Hurt in a Florida Lyft Accident

A Lyft accident can change your life and leave you with costly medical bills, unpaid time off work, and a painful road to recovery. Sadly, even when your accident seems straightforward, it can be hard to recover the compensation you deserve from the at-fault party.

Insurance companies may try to shift blame, and recovering compensation is particularly hard with a rideshare accident as both the Lyft driver and rideshare company have insurance policies.

Both may try to claim the other should be liable for your damages.

You deserve to focus on your recovery, not fighting an insurance company. An experienced injury lawyer at Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers will take over the fight for you and put our six decades of experience to work on your case.

Our AV-rated law firm has two Board Certified Civil Trial attorneys with national recognition who will help you from beginning to end.

We have recovered more than $100 million for our clients and will use our expertise and resources to:

Conduct an independent investigation into your accident to determine causation and liability
Work with a variety of experts to prove negligence and document the extent of your damages
Negotiate a fair settlement offer on your behalf and handle all communications with the insurance companies
Fight attempts to shift blame to you
Take your case before a jury if a settlement isn’t reached

You deserve a Lyft and Uber accident attorney who will advocate for you at every stage of your claim. Contact Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers today to schedule your free case review with a Clearwater Lyft accident lawyer who can help you.

Statistics for Uber and Lyft Accidents

Unfortunately, statistics can be difficult to uncover when it comes to rideshare accidents. This is due, in part, to the relatively new rideshare service and a lack of open reporting by rideshare companies on accident claims involving an Uber or Lyft driver.

However, a study conducted using data from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and CrashStats does shed some light on the situation.

The study found that fatal accidents increased by 2-4% every year in top cities after rideshare companies showed up after controlling for other factors.

This increase is attributed to the “quantity effect” of putting more vehicles on the street which may even cancel any “quality effect” from reducing drunk driving.

The study suggested that before rideshare services, people in urban environments still used other modes of transportation.

For every person who would have driven drunk instead of calling for a Lyft, there is someone who is in a rideshare when they otherwise would have walked or used a bicycle or public transportation.

What Causes Lyft Accidents in Pinellas County, FL?

Lyft and other rideshare companies offer a convenient solution to enjoying a night on the town or even exploring an unfamiliar city without worrying about driving under the influence or patchy public transportation.

While convenient, Lyft is not always safe.

Lyft drivers do not receive any special training to transport passengers without the high standards for training and licensure that taxi drivers face.

Lyft does run a background check and driving record check, but many people slip through these cracks. Lyft drivers are also just human and prone to the same mistakes that cause other drivers on the road to cause an accident.

At Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers, we often find Lyft accidents are caused by the following types of negligent behavior:

Distracted driving which was responsible for 2,841 fatalities in one year alone.
Speeding, one of the leading factors in car accidents
Failing to yield the right of way
Running a red light or stop sign
Drunk driving
Drowsy driving
Left-hand turns

Lyft accidents can involve all types of accidents including:

It is certainly not always the Lyft driver who is at fault in a rideshare accident in Clearwater. Another driver or even a pedestrian may be found liable for a crash. The car accident lawyers at Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers will conduct an independent investigation into your accident to determine all potentially liable parties and avenues for you to recover compensation.

How Does Rideshare Liability & Lyft Insurance Coverage Work in Florida?

Liability is extremely complicated when it comes to rideshare accidents in Clearwater. As with other car accidents, you have the right to seek damages from the party responsible for the crash. When a Lyft driver is at fault, however, liability becomes complex.

You may be able to recover money from the Lyft driver, their insurance policy, or Lyft’s insurance policy, depending on when and how the accident happened.

Under a Florida law passed, the mandatory minimum insurance requirement for Lyft drivers was increased beyond regular liability limits.

The “Uber/Lyft Bill” increased minimum liability levels to $25,000 for property damage, $50,000 for death and bodily injury per person, and $100,000 for death and bodily injury per accident.

Lyft, on the other hand, must carry an insurance policy of at least $1 million, but this coverage is secondary to the Lyft driver’s coverage. The Lyft coverage kicks in only when the Lyft driver’s policy isn’t enough to cover your damages.

The situation becomes more complicated, however, because the amount of coverage available to you in an accident depends on the driver’s status at the time of the crash.

If the Lyft driver is logged into the app but not providing a Lyft ride for a passenger in the ridesharing vehicle, the following amounts of coverage are in effect:

Minimum PIP coverage
$50,000 for death and bodily injury per person
$100,000 for death and bodily injury per accident
$250,000 PDL coverage per incident

When providing a Lyft ride with a passenger in the vehicle, there must be minimum PIP and PDL coverage as well as primary coverage of at least $1 million. This heightened insurance coverage only kicks in when the Lyft driver is active on the Lyft app and has a passenger.

Comparative Fault Rules and Your Lyft Accident Case

Florida’s modified comparative negligence law may also affect your claim. Under this legal doctrine, multiple parties may be held accountable for damages in an accident. Each party’s share of fault will determine how much compensation they can recover. If a victim’s apportioned responsibility exceeds 50%, they’re prevented from pursuing compensation.

If you were involved in a Lyft or Uber car accident as another driver, for example, you may or may not be found partially at fault for the crash. Even if you played some role in the accident, you can still recover damages as long as you are deemed 50% or less at fault. However, those damages will be reduced based on your share of fault.

If you were a Lyft passenger, multiple drivers may share liability and you may have multiple avenues to recover compensation.

What Compensation is Available After a Lyft Accident in Florida?

When you are injured in a Clearwater Lyft accident, you have the right to seek compensation from the at-fault party. Depending on the details of your accident, you may be able to recover compensation from the Lyft driver, the Lyft commercial policy, or another driver who is found at fault for the accident.

There are two broad types of compensation you may recover: economic damages which cover items with a clear financial value like lost wages and non-economic damages.

These are damages without an intrinsic value such as the pain you suffered or reduced quality of life. The Clearwater Lyft accident lawyers at Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers will help you pursue all the damages you are entitled to receive which may include:

Medical bills, including hospitalization, emergency treatment, surgery, doctor bills, prescription medications, medical devices, physical therapy, and more. You are entitled to the anticipated future expenses related to your medical care as well.
Property damage if your vehicle was involved in a Lyft accident
Lost wages while you are recovering and must take time off work
Reduced earning capacity if you are unable to continue working as you once did
Pain and suffering
Mental anguish
Emotional distress
Disfigurement
Loss of enjoyment of life

At Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers, we will work to maximize the compensation you recover after carefully investigating and assessing your case.

Contact Our Clearwater Lyft Accident Lawyers

Even a seemingly minor Lyft accident in Florida can become complicated due to tricky rules affecting liability and insurance coverage. This can make it difficult to recover the compensation you deserve.

Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers is here to help you protect your rights and fight for the full financial compensation you are entitled to as you work to recover and rebuild your life. Contact our law office to schedule a free case review with a Clearwater Lyft accident lawyer who can help you take the next legal steps.

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