Oyster Bay Lyft Accident Lawyer

Rideshare services like Uber and Lyft have changed the way we travel, but do Lyft rides pose an increased risk of accidents due to the driver’s financial incentive to complete as many rides as possible per shift? If you experienced a Lyft accident in Oyster Bay, it’s essential to know your rights and options for financial recovery.

Contact the Law Offices of Jay S. Knispel to learn how an New York car accident attorney can help you maximize your compensation.

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Why Choose Us as Your Lyft Accident Law Firm In Oyster Bay?

Navigating a Lyft accident claim means filing a claim against a powerful rideshare insurance company that is not on your side and is more than willing to profit at your expense. With The Law Offices of Jay S. Knispel, you have the following advantages:

A lead attorney with over 25 years of experience in New York’s courts, civil liability laws, and insurance system behind your claim
A full-service law firm to take your case from the investigation all the way to a settlement or court award for your damages
Assertive legal action to seek the maximum compensation available to you

At the Law Offices of Jay S. Knispel, we offer a free consultation to injury victims. Then, our contingency-based payment system allows us to work for you at no cost until after we’ve first recovered compensation for you in your claim.

What Causes Lyft Accidents In Oyster Bay?

Lyft drivers often work their rideshare jobs as a second income alongside their regular full-time job. Some use their rideshare app for income between college classes. This means fatigued drivers are on the road, trying to maximize their hourly incomes. The most common causes of Lyft accidents in Oyster Bay and elsewhere in New York include the following:

Speeding
Aggressive driving
Distracted driving
Tailgating
Failure to yield the right of way
Improper merging
Unsafe lane changes or weaving through traffic
Improper passing
Fatigued driving
Mechanical failures
Impaired driving

A major university study suggests that traffic accidents have increased by 3% since the rise of the rideshare industry, likely due to increased individual traffic as fewer people use public transportation.

Understanding New York Lyft Accident Liability

The Lyft company protects itself from direct liability for accidents by using independent contractors as drivers rather than employees. Instead, Lyft requires its drivers to carry specialized rideshare insurance. Under the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission, all Lyft drivers must carry at least the minimum required coverage of $100,000 per person for bodily injury costs and $300,000 total bodily injury coverage per accident. While this is less than the up to $1 million coverage for rideshare vehicles required in most states, it’s substantially more than the minimum required insurance for private vehicles. In addition, an experienced New York Lyft accident attorney pursues all available avenues for compensation under New York’s contributory negligence laws.

Depending on the circumstances of the accident, one or more of the following could be at fault and liable, or partly liable for Lyft accident damages:

The Lyft driver
Another driver
A negligent road maintenance agency or construction contractor
A road planning agency that designed a dangerous roadway or intersection
The manufacturer of a defective auto part

Damages in Lyft accident claims range from a single emergency room bill to lifelong disability, depending on the severity of the injury.

Common Injuries In Lyft Accident Claims

Whether you were injured as a passenger in a Lyft accident or as a motorist in another vehicle in a collision caused by a Lyft driver, injuries can leave you facing temporary or permanent disability impacting all aspects of your life. Common injuries seen in Lyft accident claims include the following:

Single or multiple fractures
Neck injuries
Back injuries
Soft-tissue injuries like sprains, tendon damage, and torn ligaments
Lacerations, contusions, and abrasions
Traumatic brain injuries
External head, facial, and dental injuries
Internal organ injuries
Burns
Spinal cord damage
Traumatic amputations

Injuries cause economic and non-economic damages that range from a single painful injury with an emergency room bill and a few days of lost pay to a catastrophic injury that leaves you facing an uncertain future. If the injuries proved fatal for a loved one, reach out to our wrongful death lawyers in NYC to get them the justice they deserve.

Recovering Damages In an Oyster Bay Lyft Accident Claim

After an accident, economic damages pile up quickly, often at the same time that the injury prevents a prompt return to the workforce. While no legal process erases serious injuries, a successful Lyft accident claim in Oyster Bay could recover damages such as the following:

Reimbursement for your injury-related medical expenses
Anticipated future medical costs
Out-of-pocket expenses
Lost income
Future income loss or reduced future earning ability
Compensation for pain and suffering

Depending on the unique circumstances of your injury, additional compensation for catastrophic injury could be available for injuries such as permanent scarring, loss of limb, loss of one of the senses, organ loss, or diminished quality of life. Catastrophic injury compensation applies when a Lyft accident victim in Oyster Bay or elsewhere suffers permanent harm caused by someone else’s negligence.

What to Do to Protect Yourself After a Lyft Accident In Oyster Bay

After a serious car accident, you may be too greatly injured or incapacitated to take any purposeful action; however, if you can safely use your cell phone or ask an uninjured person to use one for you, taking the following actions protects your physical and financial future:

First, call 911 to request emergency services and apply any necessary first aid
Use the emergency feature on your Lyft app to report the accident to Lyft
Then, use the phone camera to take photos of the accident scene, including the damaged vehicles and anything relevant to the cause, such as a hazardous road condition, traffic signs, or a signal light
Add the Lyft driver’s contact information to your phone
Add the contact information of any eyewitnesses to the accident
Go directly to a hospital from the accident scene and ask for a detailed medical report listing your injuries and the doctor’s treatment recommendations

Carefully follow your doctor’s orders and obtain a copy of the police report. Then, reach out to a taxi accident lawyer in Oyster Bay before communicating with the insurance company.

Call or Contact The Law Offices of Jay S. Knispel

As a passenger in a Lyft accident, you are never at fault for an accident. If you are a motorist in another vehicle in a Lyft accident, the insurance company could try to shift liability to you. Either way, insurance companies profit at your expense whenever possible.

Call the Law Offices of Jay S. Knispel at (212) 564-2800 for the experienced representation you deserve to obtain full and fair compensation for your losses.