New York City Lyft Accident Lawyer

Were you injured in a Lyft accident in New York City, NY? Lyft riders, other drivers, and pedestrians may all be entitled to damages for medical expenses, lost wages, and more.

For over 25 years, the Law Offices of Jay S. Knispel Personal Injury Lawyers has represented accident victims in all five boroughs of NYC. Contact our law office for a free consultation with a New York City Lyft accident lawyer ready to give you the aggressive representation you deserve. Call us at (212) 564-2800.

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How the Law Offices of Jay S. Knispel, LLC Can Help You After a Lyft Accident in New York City

How the Law Offices of Jay S. Knispel, LLC Can Help You After a Lyft Accident in New York City After a serious Lyft accident, you may find yourself in a battle with a major corporation and insurance company trying to escape liability for your injuries. There may be multiple insurance companies involved, such as the Lyft driver’s policy and the Lyft commercial policy.

Both may claim the other should be responsible for your damages. You deserve an NYC personal injury lawyer experienced with rideshare accident claims to help you.

Our founding attorney Jay S. Knispel is a Top 100 Trial Lawyer and member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. He has recovered some of New York’s largest settlements and awards. When you choose the Law Offices of Jay S. Knispel, LLC, you will benefit from decades of legal experience and a sterling reputation.

Hire our law office to represent you in your New York City, New York Lyft accident case, and we will:

Offer insightful legal advice and support you can depend on
Handle all administrative tasks, paperwork, and communications
Investigate your case to gather evidence and identify all potentially liable parties
Work with experts to build a strong, evidence-based negligence case
Accurately value the full extent of your damages
Negotiate on your behalf to seek a fair settlement that fully compensates you
Take your case to court to seek maximum damages when the insurance company doesn’t treat you fairly

Call our law office today to schedule a free consultation with a dedicated lawyer who cares about you. We will take over the fight with the insurance company to protect your best interests.

How Common Are Lyft Accidents in New York City, NY?

How Common Are Lyft Accidents in New York City, NY? Rideshare services like Uber and Lyft are becoming increasingly common across the United States. This is particularly true in densely packed urban areas popular with tourists like New York City. While rideshare services advertise themselves as a safe alternative to drunk driving and late-night public transit, their drivers are only human.

A study using data from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) found rideshare services may be behind an increase in fatal crashes among motor vehicles. The study found fatal collisions increased 2% to 4% per year in top cities once rideshare companies arrived. This was true after controlling for other factors.

Why have rideshare services like Lyft caused a rise in fatal crashes? Uber and Lyft result in more vehicles on the street. This “quantity effect” seems to cancel out the reduction in rates of drunk driving.

What Is My Lyft Accident Case Worth?

The value of any personal injury claim depends on many factors.

NYC car accident attorneys may consider the following when valuing your case:

Are you partially at fault for your accident?
How much insurance coverage is available?
What is the value of your current economic losses, like medical bills?
Will you have ongoing medical needs?
Will you be able to return to your job?
Did you suffer very serious, painful, disfiguring, and/or permanent injuries?
How have your injuries affected your life?

Contact the Law Offices of Jay S. Knispel, LLC for a free consultation. We will help you understand what your case may be worth after reviewing the circumstances and your damages.

What Kind of Damages Are Available to Lyft Accident Victims in New York?

When someone else causes your injuries, you are entitled to seek several types of damages for your losses. This includes economic damages for the financial losses you suffered and non-economic damages for personal losses like your pain.

Lyft accident victims may be entitled to compensation for:

Property damage
Current medical bills
Future medical expenses like skilled nursing care or prosthetics
Lost earnings
Reduced earning capacity to compensate for future lost wages and benefits if disabled
Non-economic losses, including emotional distress, mental anguish, pain and suffering, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life

Wrongful death damages are also available if a Lyft accident killed your loved one. These damages compensate surviving family members for the losses they’ve suffered.

How Does Lyft Insurance Coverage Work?

New York City was one of the first cities in the U.S. to impose unique regulations on rideshare companies.

All Lyft and Uber drivers must be authorized by the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission. Rideshare drivers are also required to carry liability insurance limits of $100k per person and $300k per accident, higher than private drivers.

If you are injured in a Lyft accident as a passenger, you can seek compensation from the Lyft driver for your serious injuries.This gives you up to $100,000 in liability coverage. You may also be covered by Lyft’s insurance policy.

Lyft insurance coverage depends on their driver status in the Lyft app:

Logged in and waiting for a ride: Lyft coverage is $50k/bodily injury per person, $100k/bodily injury per accident, and $30k/property damage.
Accepted a request and on the way to get a rider: $1 million in bodily injury and property damage plus UM/UIM coverage.
Transporting a rider: $1 million in bodily injury and property damage plus UM/UIM coverage.

Injured Lyft riders can recover compensation through the Lyft driver’s insurance policy and the Lyft policy if damages exceed the Lyft driver’s limits.

You may recover compensation through this policy if you are:

A pedestrian injured by a rideshare driver
A passenger in the Lyft vehicle or another vehicle when the rideshare driver was at fault
A driver injured in an accident with a Lyft vehicle if the rideshare driver was at fault (if the Lyft driver had accepted a ride request or was transporting a rider)
A Lyft driver injured in an accident if another driver was at fault (If you were logged in and waiting for a ride, accepted a request, or were transporting a rider)

The Lyft insurance policy can also cover injury victims in a range of scenarios. If the Lyft driver was at fault for an accident when they were logged in but had not yet accepted a ride request, their personal insurance company may refuse to cover your damages. In this case, the contingency coverage available through the Lyft policy may be in effect.

The Lyft insurance policy can also cover injury victims in hit-and-run accidents. This might happen when the at-fault driver does not have sufficient insurance coverage or when the Lyft driver’s personal policy denies a claim.

Can I Recover Compensation if I’m Being Blamed for a Lyft Accident in New York City, New York?

New York uses a pure comparative negligence system that allows accident victims to recover compensation even if they are partially at fault. Under this rule, you can recover money even if you are up to 99% to blame for the accident. However, your recovery will be reduced by your share of fault.

For instance, if you suffered $50,000 in damages but are assigned 25% blame, your recovery will be $37,500. This is reduced by $12,500 or 25%.

Keep in mind insurance companies may try to use this system to their advantage. Every share of blame they have assigned to you reduces their liability. Who is at fault can also complicate Lyft accidents and whether you can seek compensation through Lyft’s insurance policy. It’s crucial to work with experienced New York City car accident lawyers if you are being blamed for your crash.

We’ll Fight for Compensation for All of Your Lyft Accident Injuries

The Law Offices of Jay S. Knispel, LLC will fight for maximum compensation for the serious injuries you suffered in your accident.

We represent Lyft accident victims who have suffered injuries such as:

Financial compensation can help you pay for the medical bills and lost wages you have suffered. It cannot help with the psychological and emotional aspects of these injuries, but they will still be assigned a financial value.

What Causes Most Lyft Accidents in NYC, New York?

Most car accidents are caused by human error and negligence, including Lyft accidents. Lyft drivers are certainly not always to blame for an accident, although research indicates they are more likely to be involved in crashes than other drivers.

The risk of an accident increases with the number of miles driven. 65% of rideshare drivers drive over 300 miles per week, and 25% drive up to 700 miles weekly. By comparison, the typical person in New York drives 250 miles each week.

Lyft drivers are also classified as independent contractors. They do not receive training from Lyft. They may be more at risk of fatigued driving accidents as many work additional jobs.

Common factors in Lyft accidents in New York City include:

Speeding. 19% of all traffic tickets issued in NYC are for speeding, a factor in 27% of fatal collisions. Some Lyft drivers may feel pressured to speed to complete more rides.
Distracted driving and cell phone use. Cell phone-related accidents are more prevalent in New York City compared to other parts of the state, contributing to 285 accidents in 2019. In Queens alone, distracted driving was a primary factor in 33% of accidents.
Following too closely. This is responsible for about 15% of accidents in New York City.
Failure to yield right-of-way. This contributes to about 14% of NYC accidents.
Improper lane change or passing. This is a factor in 14% of accidents in the city.

After your crash, the Law Offices of Jay S. Knispel, LLC will conduct an investigation to determine how and why your accident occurred. We will gather evidence to prove who was negligent and caused your accident.

How Do I Prove Negligence After a Lyft Accident in New York City, NY?

A personal injury lawsuit generally requires proving who was at fault for an accident, although multiple parties may be assigned some amount of blame. Who is at fault will determine how much insurance coverage is available and who you can hold accountable.

To build a strong case, your New York Lyft accident lawyer will investigate your accident and gather evidence, such as:

Photos of the accident scene and damage to vehicles
Cell phone records of suspected distracted drivers
Police report and crash report
Any citations issued for your accident
Witness statements

Depending on how clear the evidence is and police determinations, we may work with specialists like accident reconstruction experts. This expert testimony can strengthen your case and help establish causation and fault.

How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Lyft Accident in New York?

The statute of limitations for a Lyft accident lawsuit in New York is usually three years. If you attempt to seek compensation outside of this deadline, you will be barred from filing a lawsuit.

Do not allow delays to weaken your case or prevent you from recovering the compensation you deserve for your accident. Contact a NYC Lyft accident lawyer as soon as possible to begin work on your case.

Contact a New York City Lyft Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation

Do not let an insurance company treat you unfairly after your accident or try to minimize the severity of your injuries. Contact our law firm for a free consultation with a New York City Lyft accident lawyer. Our attorney-client relationship works on a contingency fee basis; you pay nothing out of pocket and no legal fees unless we win your case.

Visit Our Law Office In Manhattan, NYC

450 7th Ave #1605, New York, NY 10123
(212) 564-2800
(516) 715-5944

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