Los Angeles Lyft Accident Lawyer

Los Angeles County reports some of the state’s highest rideshare trips by volume, which in turn raises the overall exposure of drivers and passengers to crashes in the county. A Los Angeles Lyft accident lawyer can help injured riders, drivers and pedestrians pursue compensation after a rideshare collision.

Contact Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers online or call us at (310) 826-8082 for a free case evaluation after a Lyft accident in Los Angeles. We can review the details of your accident and help you understand the legal remedies that may be available to you after an injury.

Table of Contents

• What To Do After a Lyft Accident in Los Angeles
• How the Lyft Accident Claims Process Works in Los Angeles
• Who Can File a Claim After a Lyft Accident in Los Angeles
• Liability for a Los Angeles Lyft Accident
• When Another Driver Causes a Los Angeles Lyft Accident
• Which Insurance Company Handles Your Lyft Accident Claim
• Lyft’s Insurance Coverage During Different Trip Periods
• Damages Available After a Lyft Accident
• Lyft Accident Settlement Value in Los Angeles
• California’s Statute of Limitations for Lyft Accident Claims
• How Common Lyft Accidents Are in Los Angeles
• Common Causes of Los Angeles Lyft Accidents
• Frequently Asked Questions

What To Do After a Lyft Accident in Los Angeles?

There are several steps to take after a Lyft accident to protect your safety as well as your legal rights:

1. Call 911 and seek medical care, even if you have seemingly minor injuries.
2. Document the accident, photographing vehicle positions, visible damage and all injuries before you leave the scene.
3. Report the crash through the Lyft app before speaking to any insurance adjuster.
4. Request the police report number from the responding LAPD or CHP officer, as you might need it for later reference.
5. Do not discuss fault or sign any insurance release forms until the facts of the case have been fully established and you have spoken to a lawyer.

After the steps above are complete, contact a Lyft accident lawyer in Los Angeles to help you navigate the legal process and protect any evidence from the accident.

How the Lyft Accident Claims Process Works in Los Angeles

Once the Lyft crash has been reported, the claims case generally moves through several steps before any lawsuit becomes necessary:

1. Evidence Gathering,
2. Completion of Medical Treatment,
3. A Demand to the Applicable Insurer and
4. Negotiation.

Establishing which insurer is responsible is an early step in the process. Disputes over which policy applies sometimes require app data, GPS logs or driver testimony to establish the driver’s status at the moment of the crash. A car accident attorney familiar with Lyft accidents can help walk you through the legal process that may be appropriate for your case and how the steps apply to you based on the facts of your accident.

Who Can File a Claim After a Lyft Accident in Los Angeles

Several affected parties may be able to file a claim after a Los Angeles Lyft Accident:

Injured Lyft Passengers

Passengers hurt during a Lyft ride generally have a valid claim against Lyft’s applicable insurance coverage, regardless of who caused the crash. Coverage may differ for solo rides, for shared or multi-stop trips and for passengers riding as guests on someone else’s account. A Lyft accident attorney can help you understand these differences and how they affect your legal options.

The Lyft Driver

A Lyft driver injured by another motorist may pursue that driver’s insurance separately from any coverage owed to passengers, and comparative negligence rules still allow for partial recovery if the Lyft driver shares some fault for the crash. Lyft’s own coverage often doesn’t extend to the driver’s own injuries in the same way it covers third parties. Discussing your rights and the facts of your accident with a personal injury attorney can help you figure out what coverage might apply for your injuries as a Lyft driver.

Other Drivers, Pedestrians and Cyclists

Motorists, pedestrians and cyclists struck by a Lyft driver may be able to file a claim even though they were never inside the vehicle.

Los Angeles recorded roughly 119 pedestrian victims and about 33 bicyclist victims per month in 2023, some of whom may qualify for rideshare accident compensation. The city also reported about 46 motorcycle accident victims per month citywide in 2023, a reminder that motorcyclists struck by a Lyft driver may also qualify for compensation as injury victims.

Family Members in a Wrongful Death Claim

Family members may pursue a wrongful death claim when a Lyft accident results in a fatality. Legal coverage may compensate for loss of companionship, loss of financial support or pain and suffering, among other damages.

Liability for a Los Angeles Lyft Accident

Liability typically falls on which driver, the Lyft driver or another motorist, acted negligently. Additionally, California’s comparative negligence rule allows partial recovery even when a claimant shares some fault. App data, dashcam footage and witness statements could all contribute to the resolution of contested liability disputes in a Lyft accident case.

When Another Driver Causes a Los Angeles Lyft Accident

Passengers in a Lyft vehicle, the Lyft’s driver and others injured in a Lyft accident may directly pursue the at-fault driver’s personal auto insurance if a third-party motorist causes the crash. Lyft’s uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage could apply if the third-party at-fault driver carries insufficient or no insurance.

However, identifying an at-fault party is not always straightforward. The California OTS logged 2549 fatal-or-injury hit-and-run crashes in Los Angeles in 2023, demonstrating that many accidents do not have an easily identified at-fault party. An attorney can help you navigate potential next steps after such a hit-and-run accident.

Which Insurance Company Handles Your Lyft Accident Claim

The applicable insurer for your Lyft accident claim depends on your Lyft driver’s app status at the time of the crash, not simply the driver’s or Lyft’s car insurance coverage.

Claims against Lyft’s $1,000,000 primary liability coverage generally require proof that the driver had accepted a ride or was actively transporting a passenger at the time of the accident. Claims arising while the driver was merely logged into the app typically route through a lower-limit policy.

Lyft’s Insurance Coverage During Different Trip Periods

California Public Utilities Code Section 5433 sets varying dollar figures for each of the three coverage periods during Lyft trips:

Period 1: App On, No Ride Accepted

If a driver has the Lyft app turned on but hasn’t accepted a ride yet, the following coverage applies:

• $50,000 per person and $100,000 per incident for death or injury.
• $30,000 for property damage.
• At least $200,000 in excess coverage above the listed minimums.

Periods 2 and 3: Ride Accepted Through Drop Off

From the time a ride is accepted by a Lyft driver up until the ride is complete, the following coverage applies:

• $1,000,000 in primary liability coverage for death, injury and property damage.
• $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident in uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage.

The statute treats ride acceptance through trip completion as a single coverage tier, so these limits typically apply whether a Lyft driver is on their way to pick up a passenger or already transporting the passenger.

Damages Available After a Lyft Accident

There are typically economic and non-economic damages available to injury victims in a Lyft accident.

Economic damages after a Lyft accident-related injury generally include medical expenses, lost income and vehicle repair or replacement costs, depending on the facts of the crash.

Non-economic damages could account for pain and suffering and diminished quality of life related to the victim’s sustained injuries.

Long-term injuries and disabilities from the collision may also support economic claims for future medical care or diminished earning capacity. A personal injury attorney in Los Angeles can help you understand the types of compensation that may be considered in your unique case.

Lyft Accident Settlement Value in Los Angeles

Settlement values after a Lyft accident vary widely. The compensation depends on factors such as documented medical treatment, lost wages and the strength of liability evidence rather than a guaranteed outcome.

Because both the $1,000,000 transportation network company policy and any underlying personal or excess coverage may apply, negotiations often involve more than one insurer. An accident attorney can help you negotiate with the appropriate parties and determine what other legal options may be available to you.

California’s Statute of Limitations for Lyft Accident Claims

Most personal injury claims must generally be filed within two years from the date of the crash. Claims against a government entity, such as a public transit vehicle involved in the crash, may carry a separate six-month administrative filing deadline.

Unfortunately, missing these deadlines generally prevents a victim from filing a claim, even if the underlying case is strong. Consulting a lawyer early helps preserve evidence, such as a Lyft’s trip and location data, before it is purged. It also helps you to stay within deadlines applying to your case.

How Common Lyft Accidents Are in Los Angeles

Rideshare trips are concentrated heavily in a handful of areas across Los Angeles. A UCLA-affiliated analysis of millions of Lyft trips to, from or within Los Angeles County found that the large majority consisted of short trips of ten miles or less. These tend to be frequent pickups and drop-offs concentrated in dense areas such as Westwood.

Nearly two out of three of California rideshare trips occur in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego counties alone. The Los Angeles Westside is specifically named as one of the state’s most concentrated rideshare zones.

UCLA’s dedicated ride-hailing pickup zones handle an average of about 5,500 combined Lyft and Uber pickups and drop-offs a day, equivalent to roughly 165,000 per month. The frequency of rideshare trips makes it clear to see how frequently accidents can occur during such rides.

While this rideshare data helps to illustrate how common Lyft and Uber rides are in the Los Angeles area, specific collision-related data paints a stronger picture regarding how common rideshare accidents are. Regulatory filings found that Lyft’s reported collision rate is roughly twice that of Uber’s per 100,000 trips statewide and about 2.2 times Uber’s rate in Los Angeles County specifically.

On a broader accident scale, Los Angeles logged 304 traffic deaths citywide in 2024, according to LADOT’s most recent annual report.

Our firm’s Los Angeles office is located near the UCLA and Westwood area and handles Lyft accident claims stemming from campus-area pickups and drop-offs in addition to citywide crashes. We understand the area and can help you make appropriate legal decisions based on the facts of your case.

Common Causes of Los Angeles Lyft Accidents

Distracted driving, speeding and driver fatigue frequently contribute to Lyft and other rideshare driver-caused collisions. Multiple pickup and drop-off stops raise the odds of rear-end and lane-change collisions in high-traffic corridors.

Late-night and early-morning rides are some of the most dangerous times to drive. Those times carry added risk from fatigued or impaired drivers, whether the impairment involves the Lyft driver or another motorist.

Get Help With Your Los Angeles Lyft Accident Claim

If you’ve been injured in a Lyft accident, contacting a Lyft accident lawyer in Los Angeles is vital to help you complete next steps such as gathering the police report, medical records and any dashcam or rideshare app data.

Call our personal injury attorneys at (310) 826-8082 for a free case evaluation. A member of our experienced, dedicated car accident team can discuss your case and possible next legal steps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Sue Lyft for an Accident?

You can generally pursue a claim against the at-fault driver and the applicable Lyft insurance policy. However, Lyft itself is rarely named as a direct defendant given Lyft drivers’ independent contractor status.

What Happens If Your Lyft Driver Gets Into an Accident?

As a passenger, you are rarely at fault for a Lyft accident, so a claim against the applicable Lyft insurance policy generally does not require proving your driver’s negligence the way a claim against most other motorists would. You may also have a separate claim against any other driver whose negligence contributed to the crash.

How Soon After a Lyft Accident Can a Lawyer File a Claim?

A lawyer can generally begin working on an accident claim right away, often within days of the crash. This is because evidence such as Lyft’s trip and location data can be lost over time and needs to be preserved as soon as possible.

California generally allows up to two years from the crash date to file for a civil lawsuit, but prompt filing can help preserve evidence.