How to File an Insurance Claim with Lyft

Have You Been in a Lyft Accident? Make Sure to Follow These Steps

When you’ve been in a rideshare car accident, insurance is probably not the first thing you think of.

If you are a rideshare passenger, you’re likely concerned with figuring out how to get to your destination.

And if you are the rideshare driver, or the driver of another car involved in the collision, you might underestimate all the intricacies involved with filing an accident claim.

But in order to improve your chances of a successful insurance claim, it’s important to gather the right information, file claims in all the right places, and seek advice from an attorney.

In 2019 alone, there were​​ 404,043 accidents in the state of Georgia. And because rideshare is an increasingly popular way to travel, especially in urban areas like Atlanta, it is entirely possible that you could experience a car accident involving a rideshare vehicle.

If you’ve been in an accident with a Lyft — as the Lyft driver, the passenger, or the driver of another vehicle — here’s an overview of the most important things you need to know in order to successfully make an insurance claim.

Gather this Information at the Scene of a Lyft Accident

Regardless of your role in the accident, there are several layers of protection in place that should help you get compensation for injuries and damages to your vehicle.

The information and documentation you collect at the scene of the accident will play a major role in helping you take advantage of those protections, whether you’re a driver with a damaged vehicle or any participant who experienced injuries.

Before you worry about gathering this information, however, make sure you’re looking after your health. If you or any of the other involved parties need immediate medical attention, call 911 right away.

None of these other steps matter nearly as much as your health and safety.

Even if everyone is safe and appears to be uninjured, it’s important to make sure someone calls the police. In Georgia, drivers are required by law to immediately report any accident resulting in an injury or at least $500 of damage.

Plus, having a police report that clearly documents the events of the accident and the damages that occurred will be important for your insurance claim.

try to gather as much information as possible

Provided you don’t need medical care, before you leave the accident site. Helpful information includes:

  • Any road or weather conditions that may have played a role in the accident
  • Any information you can gather from witnesses
  • The contact information of every person involved in the accident, including passengers
  • The exact site of the accident
  • The location of any cameras that might have captured the accident
  • Your recollection of what happened

Take notes on your phone or a piece of paper to help you remember everything, and if possible, take detailed photos of the damaged vehicles and the accident site.

Remember: This information is for your records and to share with an attorney. You should not report everything you know to the insurance company, as they will look for any excuse to not accept your claim.

Don’t forget to gather the insurance information of all involved drivers. Even if you are just a passenger, you may need this information.

Lyft provides its own accident insurance

Just because Lyft provides its own accident insurance doesn’t mean that the drivers’ personal insurance companies will never get involved.

If you are driving another vehicle that was in an accident with the Lyft, you should also try to confirm what stage of the rideshare process the Lyft driver was in.

The insurance coverage that applies to your accident will partly depend on which stage of work the driver was in:

  1. Not using the Lyft app
  2. Waiting to accept a ride
  3. In the process of driving to a passenger, or transporting the passenger to their destination

How to Report an Accident to Lyft

Once the police have been contacted, make sure you also report the accident to Lyft. It’s important to do this as soon as possible, but if you’re not able to make the report at the scene, you can still do it after the fact.

If you’re the Lyft driver or passenger, go to the menu in your Lyft app and select “Help.” Then under “Report a safety issue,” click “Report safety issue or accident,” and then “Accident.”

This will direct you to a form where you enter your contact information, a description of the accident, and any photos you have that show the damage.

After you’ve submitted the form, a Lyft safety specialist will contact you to help you take the next steps.

Seeking Medical Care After a Lyft Accident

Many people don’t realize the value of visiting the doctor after a car accident. After all, you may just feel a little soreness, or you might think you’re not injured at all.

Keep in mind that some injuries don’t present symptoms right away, so even if you think you’re unharmed, it’s still important to visit your primary care doctor or an urgent care center as soon as you’re able.

That way, you will have an early record of any injuries, which will help you make sure insurance covers any accident-related medical bills you receive in the future.

Say, for example, you wake up the day after the accident with a slightly sore neck. You may think you should wait it out for a few days, but this soreness could be a sign that you have whiplash.

realize the full extent of your injury

By the time you realize the full extent of your injury, you’ll already have filed your claim, and it might be too late to get compensation for the bills you’ll receive for medical treatments and prescription medications.

This simple act of not going to the doctor could end up costing you thousands of dollars.

Just like the information you gather at the scene of the accident, it’s important to keep everything as organized as possible.

Save any medical bills, and make sure to ask your doctor for a paper copy of the records from your appointment.

If you have visible injuries like cuts, bruises, or swelling, take photos of those, as well.

How to File a Claim with Lyft as a Third-Party Driver

If you were in another vehicle that collided with a Lyft, you can report the accident to Lyft online by submitting your phone number on this accident report form.

Someone from the company will then call you to get more details about the accident.

Even though Lyft most likely already knows about the accident from the driver or the passenger, you should not assume that they have any specific information.

don’t provide extra information

Make sure to answer their questions, but don’t provide extra information or tell them anything that could give them a reason to deny you compensation.

You should also report the accident to both your own insurance company and to Lyft’s insurance company (this varies by state, but in Georgia Lyft is covered by Progressive).

If, however, the other driver was not using the Lyft app at the time of the incident, you’ll need to file a claim with their personal insurance company, instead, as Lyft does not provide coverage during that time.

How to File an Insurance Claim as a Lyft Driver

If you were in an accident while driving a Lyft, don’t panic. Between your own personal insurance and the additional insurance Lyft takes out for every driver, there are multiple levels of coverage protecting you and your passenger.

The specific coverage that applies will depend on when the accident occurred. If you’re driving with the Lyft app turned off, Lyft’s insurance will not apply, but your personal car insurance policy will.

As soon as you turn the app on, up until you accept a ride request, Lyft’s third-party liability insurance will cover up to $50,000 per person for bodily injury, $100,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $25,000 per accident for property damage.

If you’re en route to pick up a passenger or have a passenger in your car at the time of the accident, that insurance increases to at least $300,00 per accident.

file a claim as soon as youre able

Once you’ve been in an accident, it’s important to file a claim as soon as you’re able. If you wait too long, the insurance company may try to use it as a reason to deny your claim.

This is also the point where working with an attorney can become a major difference maker. If you’ve been injured, need to focus on finding a temporary replacement vehicle, or you just need a few days to decompress after the trauma of being in an accident, an attorney can help file your claim.

If more than one vehicle was involved in the accident, make sure to report the incident to both your insurance provider and to the other driver’s provider.

In Georgia, Lyft is insured through Progressive. To make a claim with Progressive, visit this website, download the Progressive mobile app, or call 1-800-776-4737.

How to File a Claim as a Lyft Passenger

As a Lyft passenger, you are insured through Lyft’s own insurance policy with Progressive, which covers up to $1,00,000 per accident.

Even though you don’t need to worry about vehicle repairs, you should still file a claim with Progressive.

This claim can help you receive compensation for any medical care you require, lost wages due to injury, and pain and suffering.

To file a claim, visit this website, download the Progressive mobile app, or call 1-800-776-4737. It’s important to do this as soon as you’re able, so that the insurance company can’t use your delay as a reason to deny the claim.

If you have questions about what information to include, or you want to make sure you’re prepared for the questions an insurance adjuster might ask, this is a great time to consult with an experienced personal injury lawyer.

Use Caution When Talking with Insurance Adjusters

One of the most important things to remember in any car accident is that insurance adjusters do not have your best interests at heart.

Their job is actually to look for reasons why you should not receive compensation.

Because of this, it’s important to use extreme caution when an insurance adjuster contacts you (this will usually happen within a few days of filing your claim).

avoid saying anything

As a general rule, you want to avoid saying anything that could hurt your chances of getting your money, regardless of your role in the accident.

Try to follow these guidelines:

  • Don’t admit fault, even if you think you’re responsible
  • If they ask a question you don’t know how to answer, tell them you need to consult with your lawyer
  • Keep your answers short
  • Only share verifiable facts, instead of speculating about what happened
  • Never accept their first offer without consulting an attorney

If you’re nervous about talking to the insurance adjuster, try practicing your answers ahead of time with a family member, or even in your bathroom mirror.

Make sure you have all of your documents and records organized and accessible before taking the call, and jot down a few notes of the key talking points you want to emphasize. A personal injury attorney can also help you prepare for the conversation by letting you know which details you should and should not share.

When Should You Hire a Lawyer After a Lyft Accident?

Because rideshare accidents are particularly complex, a Dunwoody personal injury attorney who has experience with the Lyft claims process can be especially valuable for helping you file your claim correctly and prepare for the conversations with the insurance companies.

Often, people wait to consult an attorney until after they find out they’re not getting the compensation they hoped. But the sooner you hire an attorney, the more advantage you will have.

keep all your records organized

A great lawyer will help you figure out what information you need to collect, keep all your records organized, file a claim correctly, and communicate with the insurance adjuster.

And in the event that you have to fight for your claim in court, they’ll already be prepared and familiar with the details of the case.

If you’re injured, busy, or just too stressed to think about all the necessary steps, an attorney can handle things like obtaining the police report, organizing your documents, and even filing the insurance claim.

They can also help you determine how much compensation you can ask for.

Depending on your role in the accident, you may be able to receive money for:

  • Car repair costs
  • Lost wages due to injury or lack of transportation
  • Past and future medical bills
  • Pain and suffering
  • Vehicle rental while your car is damaged

Once you receive an offer from insurance, the attorney can also help you determine whether or not you should accept, and if needed, they may negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf.

Is Litigation Necessary After a Lyft Accident?

Your attorney will do everything they can to help you get fair compensation without taking legal action. But because insurance companies are equally determined to protect their interests (and the interests of their rideshare company clients), it’s sometimes necessary to fight for your compensation in court.

When this happens, the major insurance companies are already at a huge advantage, because they deal with car accidents every day.

This is especially true in rideshare accidents. Many lawyers, even those who specialize in personal injury, will go their entire careers without ever working on a case that involves a rideshare accident.

attorney who has experience with rideshare accident litigation

If you can find an attorney who has experience with rideshare accident litigation, it can mean the difference between getting the compensation you deserve and walking away empty handed.

And the sooner in the process you hire that attorney, the more familiarity they’ll have with your case and the better prepared they’ll be to fight for you.

Nick Martin is the Rideshare Accident Attorney You Deserve

If you’ve been injured in an accident, you shouldn’t need to worry about getting your medical bills paid for, or losing wages while you’re unable to work.

The most important thing for you to focus on is getting better.

Even if you’re a Lyft driver and the accident only damages your car, you deserve the peace of mind that comes with knowing you haven’t lost your source of income.

extensive experience in personal injury law

Whatever your specific situation, Nick Martin can help you get the right compensation. Nick has extensive experience in personal injury law and with the niche topic of rideshare accidents.

He’s a strong advocate for his clients and makes the process as easy as possible so that you don’t have to worry about being bullied by an insurance adjuster or getting your claim denied over a silly technicality.

If you’ve been in a Lyft accident, it’s time to take every action you can to help strengthen your claim. Start by contacting The Law Office of Nicholas P. Martin today at (770) 450-6155, or fill out this form to receive a free consultation.

Nick Martin

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