Milwaukee Lyft Car Accident Lawyer

If you were hit by a Lyft driver, you deserve to be compensated for your damages, but it can be difficult to know who was financially liable between the driver and the rideshare company. Get the answers you need by speaking with a Milwaukee Lyft car accident lawyer.

While thousands of people use rideshare services such as Lyft every day, it’s not widely understood just how complicated these companies make sorting out the details of car accidents that involve their drivers. This is because Lyft drivers are not actually employees of the company. Rather, they’re independent contractors.

What’s more, the agreement they accept when they begin ridesharing for Lyft means that the company isn’t automatically responsible for any injuries and property damage they cause. It all depends on what the status of the app was at the time of the accident and whether the driver had a paying fare. Even cases where things seem clear-cut can lead to unforeseen hurdles, which is why your best option is to work with a Milwaukee Lyft car accident lawyer from the Law Offices of Gary S. Greenberg.

Which Lyft Insurance Policy Applies to Your Wreck?

Lyft provides its drivers with different liability insurance policies for different situations. The most comprehensive policy with the largest limits is only active when the Lyft app’s “driver mode” is active and the driver is either actively transporting a paying customer or has accepted a ride request and is on the way to pick the fare up.

Lyft offers a more limited contingency policy for situations where the driver mode is active but the driver does not have a customer and has not yet accepted a ride. This policy has lower limits and might require you to file a claim with the driver’s personal insurance first.

When the Lyft App Isn’t On

Obviously, Lyft drivers have free time where they use their vehicle for normal purposes and don’t have the app active. This is essentially the same as being “off the clock,” and Lyft does not claim liability when an off-duty driver gets into a crash.

Whether it involved distracted driving or any other cause, these accidents are basically “normal” car accidents, and the driver can be held responsible through a personal injury claim. There are cases where Lyft drivers fail to realize that their insurance doesn’t allow them to use their vehicle for commercial purposes, however, in which case the driver’s policy might be voided.

While Lyft’s contingency policy would kick in if the app was on, it’s being off means that you’ll either have to sue the driver directly (which may not be worthwhile) or file an uninsured driver claim with your own policy. Our office can help you decide which option is the best one to take if you find yourself in this unfortunate situation.

Contact a Milwaukee Rideshare Car Crash Attorney

While the involvement of a rideshare company like Lyft can greatly complicate your case, you can overcome the challenge and get the monetary compensation you need to pay for your recovery. The Law Offices of Gary S. Greenberg has helped crash victims from all over Wisconsin, and we can provide you with the same high-caliber legal assistance.

To explore your options, schedule a free, no-pressure case evaluation with a Milwaukee Lyft car accident lawyer. Just complete our online contact form on this page or give our office a call at 414-271-7007.