Oklahoma City Lyft Accident Lawyer
Have you recently been injured in a Lyft accident in Oklahoma City, OK? Call McGuire Law Firm to discuss your legal options. You may have the right to recover compensation for your medical expenses, lost income, and suffering. Our Oklahoma City Lyft accident lawyers can help you fight to get every dollar you deserve.
Our personal injury law firm offers a free initial case evaluation. Contact our law office today at (405) 513-5658 to speak with a member of our compassionate team to set up yours today.
How McGuire Law Firm Can Help You After an Oklahoma City Lyft Accident?
Rideshare companies like Lyft provide a convenient, affordable form of transportation. However, Lyft accidents cause severe injuries and fatalities. Holding Lyft and other parties responsible for damages can be challenging, given that Lyft drivers are independent contractors.
You can make things easier by hiring an experienced Oklahoma personal injury lawyer to represent your interests and pursue compensation on your behalf.
At McGuire Law Firm, our attorneys have more than 60 years of collective legal experience. More than a decade of that includes time spent working for insurance companies - an adversary you'll probably face in your Lyft Accident case. Our comprehensive legal background, unparalleled understanding of the issues you'll face, and passion for making things right can be a huge advantage to you from the start.
When you hire our personal injury attorneys in Oklahoma City, we will:
- Keep you fully informed and up-to-date about your Lyft accident claim at all stages
- Conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to your auto accident
- Gather evidence to help establish causation, prove liability, and substantiate your demand for compensation
- Work closely with accident and injury specialists - including crash reconstructionists, medical professionals, and financial experts - as needed to build and value your case properly
- Handle all conversations with at-fault parties and their insurance providers
Our goal is to negotiate a settlement that gives you all of the money you need and deserve after getting hurt in an Oklahoma City ride-sharing accident. But, if you aren't offered a fair deal or if insurance companies try to deny your claim in bad faith, our trial lawyers will be ready to take your case to a jury.
Your first consultation is free. Give our team a call to schedule yours today.
How Common are Lyft Accidents?
Unfortunately, the arrival of rideshare companies may increase the number of traffic fatalities each year. According to one study, traffic deaths increased by two to three percent nationwide with the arrival of rideshare companies. However, the research and data regarding Lyft accidents are often contradictory.
Some sources claim that rideshare companies like Lyft have had positive effects on traffic safety, such as reducing the number of DUI accidents nationwide. However, other sources claim that rideshare companies have caused an increase in traffic congestion, pollution, and motor vehicle accidents.
For a person injured in a Lyft accident, the main concern is not increased pollution or traffic congestion, but who is liable for the person’s damages.
Causes of Lyft Accidents in Oklahoma City
Lyft accidents occur for a variety of reasons. In most cases, the reasons for a Lyft accident in Oklahoma City are the same as the causes of other car accidents. Common causes of Lyft accidents include:
- Reckless Driving
- Speeding
- Distracted Driving
- Impaired Driving
- Drowsy Driving
- Failing to Obey Traffic Laws, and
- Hazardous Road Conditions.
The key to identifying who is responsible for your injuries lies in discovering why the accident happened. If the Lyft driver caused the crash, the Lyft driver is responsible for your injuries. However, if another driver caused the crash, your injury claim is against the other driver.
In some cases, both drivers in a Lyft accident could share liability. A bicyclist, scooter rider, or pedestrian could also share in the responsibility for the case of the accident. Lyft may also be liable for your damages under its rideshare insurance policy.
Lyft provides its drivers with limited insurance coverage when they have passengers in the vehicle. A passenger or another party may receive compensation for damages from the Lyft insurance policy. In most cases, a Lyft driver’s private insurance company does not cover rideshares, so the process can become complicated when insurance companies argue about coverage.
Common Lyft Accident Injuries in Oklahoma City
The severity and types of injury people sustain in Lyft accidents depends on the variables of the accident. It is important to remember that any type of car crash can result in traumatic injuries. It is always best to be seen by a doctor as soon as possible to diagnose and document your injuries.
Common Lyft accident injuries include, but are not limited to:
- Broken Bones and Fractures
- Traumatic Brain Injuries
- Whiplash
- Dislocated Shoulder
- Fractured Vertebrae
- Paralysis and Other Permanent Impairments
- Concussions and Skull Fractures
- Limb injuries
- Soft Tissue Injuries
- Internal Organ Failure, and
- Wrongful death.
The injuries from a Lyft accident can be severe and result in lifelong disabilities. The damages that result can include significant financial losses and overwhelming pain and suffering.
What Damages Are Available After a Lyft Accident?
The damages available after a Lyft accident depend on the facts of the case. Factors that can impact the value of a Lyft accident claim include, but are not limited to:
- The person’s injuries;
- Who is liable for the accident;
- The amount of financial losses;
- Whether the person sustained a permanent impairment;
- The amount of insurance coverage and other resources available to pay the injury claim; and,
- Whether the person hires an experienced Lyft accident attorney in Oklahoma City.
Damages from a Lyft accident generally fall into two categories — economic damages and non-economic damages.
Economic damages are actual financial losses or expenses related to the accident. Economic damages include:
- Hospital Bills
- Physician’s Bills
- Therapy
- Travel Expenses
- Personal Care
- Loss of Income
- Loss of Benefits
Any financial loss or expenses related to the Lyft accident, your injury, and your recovery could be included in financial damages.
Non-economic damages represent the victim’s pain and suffering. These damages are much more difficult to value because they are subjective. An experienced Lyft accident attorney understands how to maximize the value for your non-economic damages such as:
- Physical suffering and pain
- Emotional distress, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD
- Mental anguish and grief
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Loss of quality of life
- Disability and permanent impairment
Working with an attorney helps ensure that you include all damages in your demand for settlement. The insurance provider is not going to tell you the actual value of your claim. You need a qualified attorney to direct you in that regard.
What Happens if I am Partially to Blame for a Lyft Accident?
Being partially to blame for a Lyft accident does not necessarily bar you from receiving compensation for your injuries. However, your fault for the accident must be under 51 percent to recover compensation. Under Oklahoma’s comparative negligence laws, if a victim is 51 percent or more at fault for the cause of the accident, that victim cannot recover any money for a personal injury claim.
Therefore, if Lyft or another party tries to blame you for causing the Lyft accident, it is best to talk to an Oklahoma Lyft accident lawyer as soon as possible. The company may be attempting to bar your claim even though its driver was responsible for your injury.
How Long Do I Have to File a Claim After a Lyft Accident?
In most car accident cases, the victim has two years from the date of the car crash to file a lawsuit under Oklahoma’s Statute of Limitations. However, there are exceptions to this typical statute of limitations.
If your claim involves a fatality, minor child, or government entity, the time to file a Lyft accident lawsuit may be different. It is best not to delay talking to an attorney about your claim. Two years may seem like a long time, but you want an attorney to begin an immediate investigation to gather evidence proving your claim before evidence is lost or destroyed.
Contact an Oklahoma City Lyft Accident Attorney for Help
Lyft accidents are not your everyday traffic crashes. The insurance companies involved in the claim are not going to protect your best interests.
Before discussing the accident with a claims adjuster or another party representing Lyft or the insurance company, learn about your legal rights and options for recovering damages from a trusted Oklahoma City Lyft accident lawyer.
Contact McGuire Law Firm to schedule your free consultation with one of our attorneys. We are ready to fight for the compensation you deserve after being injured in a Lyft accident.
