Lyft Accident Attorney in Decatur, GA

Your Decatur Lyft Accident Attorney

The victims of Lyft accidents who have suffered serious injuries that are long-term and life-altering may be entitled to significant amounts in damages from the responsible party. The process can be complex and time-consuming, and especially difficult when you are trying to recover from your injuries. A Decatur Lyft accident attorney can help you throughout each step of the claims process to ensure you receive what you deserve. 

If a Lyft accident victim dies as a result of their injuries or is seriously injured to the point that they are unable to file on their own, their families can proceed with a claim. The families of the victim may be entitled to damages through a personal injury claim or a wrongful death action. A wrongful death action is meant to replace the value of the lost financial and household contributions of the person killed in the accident.

While any accident that leads to life-altering, long-term consequences for the victim, following are some of the most common Lyft accidents that may entitle victims to compensation.  

Lyft Driver vs. Pedestrian Accidents 

While you might expect that car accidents are a leading cause of injury in Lyft accidents, and they are, pedestrians are also regularly injured by Lyft and in other Georgia rideshare accidents. Given that rideshare vehicles often operate in condensed areas like shopping centers and business areas, it is natural that there are a great many pedestrians around. When a vehicle strikes a pedestrian because of the driver’s negligence, the pedestrian will be entitled to converge for the associated medical and occupational costs in the same way a car accident victim is. 

Lyft Motor Vehicle Collisions 

An accident with a Lyft driver will require an assessment of liability to determine which driver, and which insurance company or companies, will be liable for the accident. While in a pedestrian accident the fault of the driver is generally determined to be the case except in rare circumstances of pedestrian negligence, identifying fault in car accidents can be difficult. 

To prove fault in an accident, the legal concept of negligence comes into play, which is comprised of the following elements:

• Duty
• Breach
• Causation 
• Damages

The Lyft driver must have breached some duty to another driver on the road, which in turn caused an accident that led to injury, with the injuries resulting in damages. For example, if a Lyft driver was speeding and ran a red light, T-boning you, they would be liable for the resulting damages because they breached their duty to follow traffic laws by speeding and running a redlight. Oftentimes there are rules of the road that apply to your specific case, and it is helpful to work with a knowledgeable Decatur lyft accident attorney to ensure that they are applied. 

One-Car Accidents Resulting in Property Damage

If your vehicle has been hit by a Lyft driver while you were not occupying it and only property damage resulted, you may have a claim. Depending upon the unique facts and circumstances of the claim it may fit with our firm, but either way it is important to understand that your insurance company doesn’t have to pay when your vehicle is damaged by a Lyft driver.

What You Can Recover with the Help of a Decatur Lyft Accident Attorney?

When a Lyft driver acts irresponsibly, and you are hurt as a result, you are stuck with pain and your life is put on hold through no fault of your own. It is only fair that you are able to receive compensation to make up for the many impacts the accident has had on your life. A Decatur Lyft accident attorney who understands how to stand up to corporate attorneys and insurance companies effectively can make the right case to recover a full array of damages for both economic and non-economic losses, as well as punitive damages when appropriate.

What does this mean in real terms?  It means that Michael M. Day Law Firm understands the numerous ways you have suffered because of the Lyft accident and the likely impact the injuries will have on your future, so we work to recover compensation for every single factor.

Compensation and More

When calculating the damages—in other words, money–that you should receive either through a settlement or after a trial in court, most of the focus will be on determining the amount you deserve as compensation for your losses. Our legal team will look at a variety of past, present, and future impacts and seek an amount of damages for each factor. We believe you deserve to be fairly compensated for all the harm caused now and needs that are likely to arise in the future. This includes factors such as medical costs and emotional distress.

Depending on the situation, we may also be able to seek a different type of damages known as punitive damages. These damages are in addition to compensatory damages. They only apply in cases where someone has acted very wrongfully.

Economic Damages

Compensation from a Lyft accident should include amounts for both economic and non-economic losses. A loss is considered an economic loss if it has a value that can be calculated based on monetary factors. For example, the value of your past medical bills is an economic loss that is easy to calculate—just add up the expenses. (This is one reason why it is so important to keep copies of all your records so that nothing is missed.)

But not all economic losses are that simple to calculate. You are likely to need additional medical care in the future, and the cost of that care is also an economic loss that you should receive compensation for. To get an accurate estimate of the cost of future medical care, a Lyft accident attorney needs to investigate many different factors, both medical and monetary. Your medical needs will include not only the cost of treatment by the doctor but also facility charges, transportation, medications, and other supplies. You may need special adaptive equipment or need to have modifications made to your home to help you function after the Lyft accident.

In addition to past and future medical care, you will have losses in earnings. Economic losses from a Lyft accident will include amounts to make up for the wages lost when you were unable to work in the past because of your physical and emotional injuries. At Michael M. Day Law Firm, we also project these types of losses forward to calculate the value of your reduced earning capacity in the future. Depending on your injuries, you may not be able to work at all, or you may be extremely restricted in what you are able to do and the duration of time you’re able to work. The amount of money you will be prevented from earning in the future is added to your economic damages.

Essentially, any harmful impact resulting from the accident that has a monetary value is considered an economic loss. In addition to medical costs and employment losses, your economic damages might include amounts for damage to your property, including your car, if you were injured while driving rather than while a passenger in the Lyft vehicle.

Non-Economic Losses

Being hit with medical bills while you’re unable to work is a major concern. But for most victims of Lyft accidents, the biggest impacts on their lives come from the intangible factors of the accident—the pain, suffering, emotional anguish, and other damage done that does not have a direct economic equivalent. Money cannot erase pain or restore the moments in life that are lost because of your injuries. But when a Decatur Lyft accident attorney recovers compensation for these non-economic losses, you can at least gain a sense of peace knowing that justice has been served and that you and your family will have the resources you need to meet the challenges of the future.

Victims of Lyft accidents are often left with long-term pain and permanent disabilities. They frequently lose the ability to enjoy activities that once made up a key part of their lives. No amount of money can make up for the heartbreak, but money is the only remedy available through our legal system. We work to recover an amount to make up for every heartache in the past, present, and future, using legal precedent to justify full compensation for each loss. Damage awards for non-economic losses are generally much, much higher than the damage amounts awarded for economic losses.

Punitive Damages

Economic and non-economic losses are provided to compensate you for the injuries you’ve suffered due to negligence in a Lyft accident. If someone involved was doing something extremely wrong, such as driving drunk on a suspended license, then a Lyft accident attorney can seek punitive damages in addition to compensatory damages. These extra amounts are like a fine to punish wrongful conduct, but the money goes to you rather than to the government. In some cases, Georgia law sets a limit of $250,000 on punitive damages, but in a drunk driving situation, that cap does not apply, so the amounts can be much greater. Remember that punitive damages are added on top of damages you receive for pain, suffering, medical bills, and other losses.

Common Causes of Lyft Accidents in Decatur 

Lyft drivers are hard workers, and they are often working long shifts to generate the fare income they need to cover the spread of hours they invest. This means that they are on the road for extended periods of time, and while they are generally considered subcontractors, their employer is nevertheless liable for injuries that result from their subcontractors while on duty. The insurance company behind the Lyft vehicle, and the insurer of the driver if they carry additional rideshare insurance, will ultimately be liable for your damages. 

Driver Fatigue 

When a driver is fatigued, they are unable to effectively respond to changes in road conditions, to pay attention to the road, and are more likely to get into accidents. If a Lyft driver was fatigued and caused an accident and you were seriously injured, whether you were a passenger in the Lyft vehicle or driving your own vehicle that was struck, the driver and Lyft will be liable for the resulting damages. 

Distracted Driving 

One of the leading causes of motor vehicle collisions and fatalities on the roads today is distracted driving. Distracted driving occurs anytime a driver is one or more of the following:

• Visually impaired – anytime the eyes of a driver are not on the road paying attention to their driving, they are engaged in distracted driving. This includes texting or using a smartphone while driving, fiddling with the radio, eating, applying make-up, and a variety of other activities. For example, if a driver takes their eyes off the road for 5 seconds to read a text message, their vehicle travels the distance of a football field. If a Lyft driver is moving quickly and looking at their phone to schedule their next booking and hit another vehicle, they will be liable for the damages. 
• Mentally impaired – when the mind of a driver is not on their driving, they are incapable of effectively responding to changes in the road or attentively driving and will be liable for any accidents that this distracted driving causes.

How do you prove that a Lyft driver was distracted in the moments leading up to your accident? Your attorney will handle the process of gathering this evidence so that you don’t need to learn how. 

Improper Maintenance and Resulting Equipment Malfunction

The excess wear and tear that is placed on vehicles that are effectively taxis without a fleet location with regular maintenance to return to can lead to equipment malfunctions that cause accidents. Motorists have a duty to maintain the safety of their vehicles, and to keep them in safe operating order. This ensures not only the safety of the driver of the vehicle, but also other drivers on the road. 

Determining when improper maintenance was the cause of your Lyft accident can require accident reconstruction and the filing of court documents to assess the condition of the Lyft vehicle. An experienced lawyer handles this in addition to the collection of all other evidence in support of your claim. 

How Does a Decatur Lyft Accident Attorney Help? 

The decision to work with an attorney for the injuries and associated damages linked to your Lyft accident can be the best one you make along the path to full recovery. While it may not be possible to completely recover from the long-term, life-altering injuries of your serious accident with a Lyft vehicle, it is possible to ensure that you and your family receive the full financial compensation that you are entitled to. 

The purpose of working with a knowledgeable attorney for assistance on your claim is two-fold: (1) to accurately measure the full costs linked to your injuries, and (2), to negotiate a fair and complete settlement with the responsible party’s insurance company or take them to court to require them to pay, if they refused. 

When you have been hit by a Lyft driver who was liable for the accident, you’ll generally be filing your claim with the insurance company or Lyft. In some instances, you may also file with the insurer of the driver when they carry additional rideshare liability insurance. Identifying the insurance company of the driver responsible for your injuries after you’ve been through an accident can be difficult. Calling the police to the scene helps to provide for the exchange of contact and insurance information amongst drivers, and your experienced attorney from Michael M. Day Law Firm, LLC can handle the rest. 

Connect with a Decatur Lyft Accident Attorney from Michael M. Day Law Firm, LLC

Collecting the amount in compensation that you are entitled to requires that you do the following completely, accurately, and in such a way that the insurance company, and if needed the courts, will accept it: 

• Gather evidence to prove the short- and long-term medical and occupational costs linked to your injuries
• Draft this evidence into an insurance claim in the appropriate format 
• File your claim with the relevant insurance company within the time period allowed 
• Negotiate a fair settlement with the insurance company 
• Appeal or file a lawsuit to collect what you deserve if the insurance company denies your claim or refuses to cover what the rightfully owe you 

The costs associated with a serious Lyft accident can be significant in the long-term, ranging from surgeries and rehabilitation to ongoing pain management and medications. It can be difficult to accurately estimate these costs from the time of your Lyft accident through the remainder of your life, and any amount that you accept below your full lifetime costs in your settlement will ultimately come out of your household budget. 

Getting started costs you nothing, and we only get paid if we win. Give us a call at (678) 616-9290 or schedule your free consultation now. You’ll review the facts of your incident with a Decatur Lyft accident lawyer, and if we determine that your case is a fit with our firm, we only get paid if we win.