Victims hurt in an accident caused by a rideshare driver can ask for help with their medical bills and their lost time at work. If Lyft and its insurers deny an accident claim, victims can then file an appeal, file a lawsuit, or report the insurer to the California Department of Insurance.
Those hurt and in need of compensation may have more success on a second try by allowing a skilled lawyer to back their cases with additional evidence and documentation. An experienced lawyer can also call out an insurer and Lyft when they are using flimsy excuses to deny help to a victim facing a difficult recovery.
Whose Insurance Covers Damages After an Accident with Lyft?
A frightening accident while in the back of a Lyft car can shake you up and leave you in some pain. You could also be in your own car when a Lyft driver in a rush accidentally slams into the back of your vehicle. You might be on foot or on a bike when a Lyft employee’s carelessness causes a dangerous collision.
Lyft covers victims who are hurt by the mistakes of its rideshare drivers in some situations. They provide insurance coverage for drivers while the driver has the Lyft app is open, whether they have a passenger or not. If the Lyft driver doesn’t have the app open and isn’t working, any accident would have to be covered by the driver’s personal insurance policy.
Either way, victims would need to file accident claims and seek help with their doctor bills, physical therapy costs, and other damages. Insurance companies will work as hard as possible to try to avoid accepting blame and can even reject claims outright. They often justify giving zero help to victims by offering a confusing explanation for a denial of coverage.
Thankfully, after a rejection, victims do have the opportunity to try again to secure financial help with their recovery costs.
The Reason for Your Lyft Accident Claim Rejection
One important step for anyone who is denied coverage after an accident is to ask why. In fact, a rejection letter should explain the reason clearly. Knowing why you were blocked from compensation will help you prepare for your next attempt at winning support.
California’s Code of Regulations Tit. 10, § 2695.7 requires car insurance companies and commercial liability insurers to provide an explanation to denied accident victims. The explanation may involve a certain traffic ordinance or something in the fine print of Lyft’s accident insurance policy.
These are just a few of the reasons why Lyft accident victims may be denied coverage:
- Lyft’s insurer may claim there’s a lack of evidence showing the Lyft driver was at fault (this may be in spite of a CHP accident report naming the Lyft employee as the driver at fault)
- The Lyft driver may be denying fault and blaming the accident on another driver
- Lyft’s insurer may use fine print in the policy as an excuse to deny compensation
- A dispute about the seriousness of injuries
- The victim missed a filing deadline
- The victim filed paperwork incorrectly or provided too little information
You may not agree with the reasoning behind the insurer’s decision. The insurer’s decision may also be unjust and based on false arguments. However, when you appeal the decision, you can definitely make sure to correct whatever mistake was made or clear up a misconception the insurance adjuster had.
A skilled California Lyft Accident Lawyer can help you uncover further evidence of a Lyft driver’s fault to build a strong case. Your lawyer would also call out insurers when they were using weak or even unlawful excuses to deny support to you and your family.
Getting a Second Chance After a Rejected Lyft Accident Claim
Victims who are heartlessly denied coverage for their injuries do have actions to take, even after having an initial claim tossed out. There are three main options for getting another shot at recovery help.
In some cases, a lawyer would help you try all three avenues and other strategies to get Lyft and its insurance providers to do the right thing.
Here are the immediate actions victims with rejected claims can take:
Filing a Complaint with the California Department of Insurance. Victims might earn justice by sending a call for help to the California Department of Insurance (CDI). A complaint can be filed to start an investigation. If the CDI finds wrongdoing, they could fine Lyft’s insurer. They might also order the company to accept accident liability and provide full coverage to you. Response times might be slow when dealing with a government agency. The CDI can also incorrectly determine that your denial was justified. Your lawyer can work to make sure administrators get the whole story so they can make an informed decision.
Filing an Insurance Appeal. Lyft’s insurance provider is required to offer a mechanism for victims to appeal coverage decisions. A formal letter would be sent to the insurer, hopefully prompting a redo. The insurer would assign a new adjuster to the case, and it would be reinvestigated. A skilled attorney could also investigate your accident to uncover further evidence to back up your new claim. Maison Law would make sure that witness testimony and any existing surveillance video were secured. Maison Law also works with accident reconstruction teams when necessary to illustrate a Lyft driver’s fault. This hard work gives a second-chance case much better odds of success.
A Lawsuit Against Lyft. A skilled lawyer will work towards a settlement, but will always be preparing a lawsuit just in case. If Lyft and its insurance providers refuse to accept blame for a careless driver, your lawyer can take them to court. Maison Law can show proof of who was to blame and also question Lyft’s training efforts and business practices that put motorists and others on California streets at risk. Maison Law would also investigate the driver’s record and Lyft’s hiring practices. In some cases, a failed background check allows a driver with many traffic violations to earn a job on the road. Lyft will want to avoid going before a judge and jury, and may finally accept fault and turn over support to steer clear of a trial. The thoughts of an expensive trial and the bad publicity can force insurers to provide a fair settlement.
How Do I Know If I Need a California Lyft Accident Lawyer?
If you are seriously injured in an accident involving a rideshare driver, you should speak to a California Lyft accident lawyer as soon as possible.
When injuries are serious, and medical bills start to rise, insurers will work harder to find ways to escape blame. A serious injury can include things like an arm fracture or a head injury. But a skilled attorney would make sure you received money to pay your current medical bills and any expected in the future.
Your lawyer would secure money to cover the paychecks you’ve lost while you’ve had to miss work. The pain and the emotional trauma you’ve been through should also be added to an accident settlement check.
If your case was originally thrown out, don’t give up hope! These benefits can still be won. Maison Law offers a free case consultation to go over every option after getting a rejection letter.
There’s no obligation, but if you need our help to hold an insurance company liable, you won’t need any money. There are no up-front costs to hire our lawyers. We also don’t get paid if we don’t win your case or appeal. If we win, our fee comes out of the settlement check that Lyft must write for you.
