Philadelphia Lyft Accident Lawyer
Rideshare accidents can take place at any time of day. Companies like Lyft and Uber provide riders with convenient methods of getting from Point A to Point B. However, it has become increasingly common for accidents to occur involving these rideshare drivers. If you have been injured while driving for Lyft or as a Lyft passenger, it is critical to understand your rights.
Anthony C. Gagliano, III, Esquire, P.C. is a Philadelphia Lyft accident attorney who knows the law surrounding Lyft accidents. When filing an insurance claim and pursuing your rights as an injured person, having the experienced guidance of an attorney can make a major difference in your case.
Why utilize rideshare options when travelling around Philadelphia?
Lyft provides a key benefit to travellers in and around Philadelphia: convenience. In terms of speed and efficiency, few options can beat Lyft when it comes to arriving at your desired destination. There are only a few, simple steps involved with using a rideshare application. Downloading the app, selecting a destination and waiting to be picked up. That’s all it takes to obtain a ride via Lyft. Lyft helps riders in a way that only taxicabs previously could.
As ridesharing has grown in popularity on Philadelphia roads, so too, have accidents involving rideshare vehicles. A Philadelphia Lyft accident lawyer is more important than ever when it comes to protecting your rights after a Lyft accident. When you consider the likelihood of becoming injured as the passenger in a Lyft vehicle it is crucial that you think through the costs and benefits of rideshare options. By the same token, if you are injured as a pedestrian or Lyft driver it can be confusing, as well. Where should you turn for help?
Do you really need a Philadelphia Lyft accident attorney?
It is understandable to have questions about what to do after being injured in a motor vehicle accident. The time-period after an accident is often filled with uncertainty about where to find answers to these immediate and pressing questions. The complexity of your situation only grows when a Lyft vehicle is involved.
Providing you with a steady hand after being injured is what an experienced Philadelphia Lyft accident attorney can do for you. The combination of being injured and having important questions creates a tremendous amount of uncertainty for you. Feeling anxious about recovering from your injuries compounds the stress associated with the likelihood of missing work due to not feeling well.
After Suffering an Injury in a Lyft Accident, an Insurance Company May Be of Little Help
Insurance companies have a reputation for being less than helpful after an accident. Delaying your claim may be the strategy of the insurance company for Lyft, the driver or you. Insurance companies may make low settlement offers initially in order to test your patience and willingness to pursue a just award for the damages you have suffered. Anthony C. Gagliano, III, Esquire, P.C. knows the tricks and methods utilized by insurance companies and will not back down from advocating for your interests.
Who is at fault regarding your Lyft accident?
In a Lyft accident claim or lawsuit, fault matters. As in- who is at fault for having caused the accident and injuring you? Depending what stage of the legal process you are in it could be an insurance adjuster, judge or jury who makes that determination. Being guided well during this process requires that you trust that you are being represented to the utmost. A Philadelphia Lyft accident attorney, Anthony C. Gagliano, III, Esquire, P.C. knows that results are what matters for you as a wrongfully injured person.
What steps did the Lyft driver not take to keep you safe while he or she was operating their vehicle. This is known in the legal world as a “duty of care.” Lyft drivers owe their passengers and other drivers sharing the road a duty of care- just as all drivers do. Driving safely means following the various laws associated with operating a motor vehicle. This requirement is one that likely is not difficult to meet.
Establishing that duty of care on the part of the Lyft driver is only Step One in the process of determining fault for your injuries. Next- focus must be placed on determining whether that duty of care was breached by the Lyft driver. As in, did the Lyft driver not exercise a duty of care towards you as a passenger in their vehicle or as a fellow-driver? Did the Lyft driver act negligently, recklessly or intentionally in relation to the accident which injured you? These are the sort of questions you must ask before proceeding into a legal claim against Lyft and their driver.
Utilizing Evidence to Determine Fault in a Philadelphia Lyft Accident
Proving that a Lyft driver was either violated a duty of care towards you means collecting sufficient evidence. This is the difference between being and not being awarded damages for having been injured in a Lyft accident. Suffering serious injuries is not enough by itself to provide you with damages in this situation. You need an experienced Philadelphia Lyft accident attorney to help guide you towards a favorable result in your case.
The focus of Anthony C. Gagliano, III, Esquire, P.C. is helping injured people receive the most favorable outcomes possible. An experienced team of legal professionals, our office understands how important the evidence collection process is. This begins with reviewing the accident report collected from a law enforcement officer. An accident report provides key details on where, when and how the Lyft accident took place. If any witnesses personally saw the Lyft accident occur then obtaining their statements is of critical impotence, as well.
The dashboard cameras of Lyft drivers frequently provide excellent evidence in an accident case. However, it is not always easy to request and obtain that video from the time of the Lyft accident. An experienced Philadelphia Lyft accident attorney knows how to quickly request and then receive this crucial evidence. Traffic and security cameras are becoming increasingly prevalent in and around Philadelphia. Depending on where your Lyft accident took place, these are types of evidence which can make a tremendous difference in your case.
Philadelphia Lyft accident attorney Anthony C. Gagliano, III, Esquire, P.C., helps clients evaluate their case. The value of your Lyft accident is determined once fault is assigned to the at-fault Lyft driver. Medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering are all factors which determine the value of your case. Negotiating over these subject areas with an insurance adjuster is no easy matter. As a result, the experience of your attorney matters.
Is a rideshare driver an employee of Lyft?
Lyft employs their drivers as contractors which means that they are not employees of their company. A Lyft driver pays to maintain their own vehicle, fill their vehicles with fuel and are not provided benefits by Lyft. However, supplemental liability insurance is necessary to operate a Lyft vehicle in Philadelphia and is provided to drivers by the company. Automobile insurance policies have liability limits. As a result, consider that the value of your claim may be substantially more than these standard auto-policy limits.
Can you sue Lyft directly?
Being injured due to the negligence of a driver provides you with good cause to file a lawsuit against him or her. It is also reasonable to ask whether Lyft may be sued, as well. Even though the driver’s vehicle has a Lyft sticker in the windshield that does not mean that Lyft will be liable for paying you any damages. Independent contractors such as Lyft drivers make it difficult to hold Lyft responsible in the same way that you would its driver for having caused your injuries.
An experienced Philadelphia Lyft accident attorney helps clients just like you determine the best course of action after an accident takes place. It is not impossible to hold Lyft directly responsible for the negligent or reckless actions of their driver. Having a plan and following through on that plan means being intentional about how you pursue a claim after a Lyft accident has injured you. In some cases, it can be shown that Lyft should have been aware that allowing its driver to operate a vehicle was a mistake. The unreasonable risk presented by continuing to allow a dangerous rideshare operator to drive should be an option discussed with Anthony C. Gagliano, III P.C.
Contacting Lyft After Being Injured as a Rideshare Passenger
The law sets forth certain requirements for reporting accidents for involved drivers. Lyft drivers are no exception to these requirements. Law enforcement must be called to the scene of the Lyft accident because injuries and/or property damage has occurred. The Lyft app also allows injured riders to contact the company directly and make a report of those injuries. Now that you have notified Lyft directly of your injuries an Incident Report Form will be emailed to you.
Reaching out to a Philadelphia Lyft accident attorney before contacting Lyft can make a major difference in your case. An accident report form is provided to the insurance carrier for Lyft once submitted. Be careful with the information you provide to Lyft immediately after your accident. Answering your questions and providing you with guidance is what Anthony C. Gagliano, III, Esquire does best.
What are the costs of hiring a Philadelphia Lyft accident attorney?
Lyft accidents have become more common as ridesharing has surged in popularity recently. Not coincidentally, Lyft accidents have become a growing area within personal injury cases as a whole. Thinking about your options after being injured in a Lyft accident helps you to address problems and identify opportunities. Your health and financial well-being depend on the decisions you make early on in your case.
Anthony C. Gagliano, III, Esquire, P.C. serves clients on a contingency fee basis. Our team of legal professionals files your claim, advocates on your behalf and files a lawsuit without charging you any upfront fee. Only after a settlement offer is accepted or a trial verdict is earned does a fee become due for our services performed in representing you. A percentage of your settlement or judgment is earned by our office as an attorney’s fee.
When you are injured in a Lyft accident where you were not at fault this is an ideal situation. Anthony C. Gagliano, III, Esquire, P.C. fights for your rights while you heal from your injuries. If no settlement is earned or court verdict awarded in your favor- then you pay no attorney’s fees. It is that simple. Our office prides itself on being transparent and open about attorney’s fees.
A free consultation is yours with Anthony C. Gagliano, III, Esquire, P.C.
A reasonable question to ask yourself at this point is: where do you go from here? While it feels extremely difficult to do, it is important that you slow down and consider your options. While nobody wants to be injured in a Lyft accident, that is not something you can control. However, what you can control is how you approach the accident once it occurs. Receiving medical care and determining your options are the best steps to take after being injured.
Anthony C. Gagliano, III, Esquire, P.C. offers you free of charge consultations. These consultations allow you to gain answers to the questions you have about your Lyft accident. Discuss your case with our team of legal professionals and determine what steps are right for you to take. As experienced Philadelphia Lyft accident attorneys we take pride in serving our community.
A no-obligation, free of charge consultation means answers to your most pressing legal questions are only a phone call away. Whatever your specific circumstances are, you need only contact Anthony C. Gagliano, III, Esquire, P.C. to discover options that you may have been aware of. Don’t take on the challenge of a Lyft accident alone. Rather, contact Anthony C. Gagliano, III, Esquire, P.C to gain an ally in your fight for justice.