Gainesville Lyft Accident Lawyer

In Gainesville GA, those who have been injured in accidents involving a Lyft vehicle only have two years to file a lawsuit seeking compensation for the expenses and impacts of their injury. That isn’t a lot of time, given the work that needs to be done in this type of claim.

An experienced rideshare accident lawyer in Gainesville will manage the deadlines in your case to ensure that you have the right to seek the compensation you need.

Services a Gainesville Lyft Accident Lawyer Can Provide for Your Claim

While two years is not a lot of time to prepare a lawsuit, an experienced Gainesville Lyft accident lawyer has a legal team to share in the work of helping a claimant seek compensation for their injuries. The services that can be provided include the following.

Determining Liability

Most Gainesville Lyft accidents occur as the result of a driver’s negligence. This can involve a negligent Lyft driver who caused injuries to their passengers or other roadway users, or it can involve another driver whose negligence resulted in injuries to the Lyft driver or their passenger. A Gainesville Lyft accident lawyer will examine the details of the case in order to determine whose careless or reckless actions resulted in the accident.

Determining Insurance Resources

Determining insurance resources after a Lyft accident can be tricky. If the accident was caused by the Lyft driver and occurred when they had a passenger in the car or when they were en route to pick one up, the personal auto liability insurance policy of the Lyft driver can be a potential source of compensation.

Lyft also provides a third-party policy of up to a million dollars to compensate the victims of accidents caused by their contracted drivers in the event the driver’s personal policy insurer denies the claim.

If the Lyft driver has their app on and they’re waiting for a ride, Lyft provides a third-party policy that provides coverage of up to $50,000 per person/ $100,000 per accident for bodily injury, as well as $25,000 per accident in property damage liability coverage.

If the Lyft driver is not using their driver app and is using their car for personal reasons when the accident occurred, their own auto liability insurance policy is likely to be the source of compensation for injuries. If the accident was the result of another driver’s negligence, then that driver’s personal auto liability insurance policy will come into play.

Valuing Your Claim

The value of a Gainesville Lyft accident claim is calculated based on a number of factors, including the amount of out-of-pocket expenses such as medical bills, auto repair bills and wage loss the claimant has suffered, as well as the severity of their injury, the presence of any permanent disabilities that will amount to lost earning capacity, and the impacts the injury has on the claimant’s ability to live as they did before the accident.

The types of evidence that a Lyft accident attorney in Gainesville would seek when valuing a claim include documentation of expenses, medical records showing the types of treatment that has been provided, claimant journal entries reflecting the frequency of doctor’s appointments and procedures performed, employment records, and testimony from family, friends, or medical experts.

Gathering Evidence

In addition to obtaining the evidence needed to justify the value of the claim, a Gainesville Lyft accident lawyer will also gather evidence to prove liability. This evidence can include the police report showing any citations issued to the at-fault driver at the scene, photos from the scene depicting damage to vehicles, witness testimony, and even the testimony of expert witnesses such as accident reconstruction specialists.

Negotiating a Settlement

A Lyft accident lawyer will prepare a demand package to be sent to the at-fault party’s insurance provider that details the claim, provides documentation of expenses, and demands payment on the full value of the claim. If the insurer opts not to pay or deny the claim, they can offer to provide a settlement that resolves the claim out-of-court for less than its value.

Your Gainesville Lyft accident attorney will negotiate with the insurer in order to garner a settlement offer that fairly compensates the claimant for their injury.

Litigation Services

If the Lyft accident claim is not fully paid or settled by the insurer, it can be filed in civil court as a personal injury lawsuit. The claimant’s attorney will continue to gather evidence through the discovery process and prepare the case for court, often while still engaging the insurance provider in settlement negotiations. A settlement agreement can be made at any time before the court renders a decision on the case.

The litigation services that a Gainesville Lyft accident lawyer can provide include delivering opening and closing arguments, presenting evidence, and questioning witnesses.

Collection of Compensation

Whether compensation is garnered through a negotiated settlement or a court decision, payment will be sent to your attorney. Personal injury attorneys generally provide their services through a contingent fee, which means they do not get paid for their work until they receive the proceeds of your claim.

From there, they will deduct the amount that they and the client agreed to in their contingent fee agreement, and release the remaining proceeds to the claimant.

A Gainesville Lyft Accident Lawyer Can Help You with Your Claim

Whether you were a Lyft driver or passenger that was injured by another driver’s negligence, or you were a passenger or other roadway user injured in an accident caused by a negligent Lyft driver, an experienced Gainesville Lyft accident lawyer from John Foy & Associates can provide the services you need to help you navigate the personal injury claims process and obtain compensation for your injury. For your free case evaluation, contact us.