What to Do After a Florida Lyft Accident

Posted on 03/14/23

in Lyft Accidents

The rideshare industry is booming in Florida. The sunshine state has long been a hugely popular tourist destination and rideshare apps like Lyft and Uber make it easy for visitors to the state to access hotels, restaurants, attractions, and beaches. Even for residents of Florida, the convenience of a Lyft ride home from a club or event or to local destinations within a community beats waiting for a public bus.

While the majority of Lyft rides have successful outcomes, studies have shown a 3% increase in accidents due to rideshare vehicles crowding the roads. Using that data, it’s estimated that rideshare vehicles like Lyft contributed to 10,000 accidents in 2020 alone and the Lyft app is even more active since the pandemic restrictions ended.

If you’ve been in an accident while riding in a Lyft vehicle in Florida, it’s important to know what to do to protect your physical and economic recovery after the dust clears.

Understanding Lyft’s Accident Insurance

Both Lyft and Uber rideshare companies distance themselves from liability by maintaining their status as an app service only, used to connect passengers to independent contractors with vehicles. However, they do require their drivers to carry special insurance for coverage when their vehicle is being used to carry passengers as well as their own car insurance for when they use their car in a personal capacity.

Lyft’s insurance works on a multi-phase format with coverage depending on what stage of the rideshare experience the driver is in at the time of the accident. The following coverages apply to these stages:

  • When the Lyft app is off and the driver is using their vehicle for personal reasons, their own private insurance applies
  • When the app is turned on and the driver is awaiting a ride request, the supplemental insurance provides up to $25,000 in property damage and $50,000 per person for injuries or $100,000 for injuries per accident
  • When the app is on and the driver is on the way to pick up a contracted passenger or is actively transporting the passenger, the supplemental insurance provides up to $1 million in personal injury coverage per passenger

Protect Your Physical and Financial Wellbeing After a Lyft Accident in Florida

The aftermath of an accident is chaotic, with everyone involved dealing with shock and assessing their injuries. If you are seriously hurt, you should remain in place and wait for emergency services to help you. If you are able to move safely, taking the following steps can help protect your physical and economic future. Use your smartphone or ask someone uninjured to use it for you and do the following: 

  • Call 911 and report the accident
  • Use the Lyft app to report the accident to Lyft
  • Take photos of the accident scene including all damaged vehicles
  • Take photos of anything that contributed to the accident such as road signs, traffic signals, an intersection, or a hazard in the road
  • Take photos of any obvious injuries
  • Collect the contact and insurance information of the Lyft driver 
  • Collect the contact information of any other involved drivers and eyewitnesses to the accident

You should always accept emergency transport to a hospital and have a complete evaluation, being sure to tell the doctor about all of your injuries and every symptom, even if it feels minor. Then, do the following:

  • Ask for a detailed copy of the medical report with any treatment the doctor recommends and your expected prognosis included
  • Do everything your doctor recommends and make sure to attend every appointment and fill every prescription
  • Obtain a copy of the accident report from the police
  • Call an experienced Florida rideshare accident attorney to evaluate your case before speaking to insurance representatives

Rideshare companies are powerful and insurance companies don’t just happily write out checks for your claims. You may need an experienced Florida Lyft accident attorney on your side to defend your best interests.