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Chicago Lyft Accident Lawyers
Lyft tries to play itself as the underdog to Uber. However, there are actual functional differences between both ridesharing companies, and each that have unique marketing gimmicks.
Sadly, the Lyft driver’s negligent has caused many rideshare passengers’ significant harm. Some rideshare customers have been seriously injured from auto accidents; others sustain sexual assaults, and some experience privacy violations.
Illinois law provides opportunities for justice for injured victims to right the wrong and recover full and fair compensation through a personal injury lawsuit.
An Illinois Lyft Ride-Share Accident Attorney Can Help
Our Chicago car accident lawyers work with victims involved in Lyft incidents across Illinois. We help them use the legal system to get help and the compensation they deserve.
Many automobile accident victims in minor or horrific Lyft crashes need surgery and must take time off from work to heal. To learn about what that financial recovery might be after a Chicago Lyft accident, contact our legal team for a free consultation to discuss your accident involving a Lyft vehicle.
Lyft Car Accident FAQs
Possible Chicago Lyft Car Accidents
Rideshare drivers have a duty of care to provide every passenger a safe ride throughout Chicago. They must operate their cars reasonably to ensure they do not get involved in a traffic accident and injure you.
However, drivers often breached that duty leaving rideshare passengers injured in accidents just like these:
- Intoxicated driving accidents – Lyft car passengers are not immune from intoxicated drivers Illinois roads. You might have a claim against the intoxicated rideshare driver citing negligence.
It is crucial to have law enforcement or the emergency medical technicians check on the driver after any accident to ensure that alcohol or drugs did not play a part in the crash.
- Excessive speed accidents – Drivers might speed when giving your right, to make as much money as possible in the shortest amount of time. Their reckless behavior can cause serious accidents.
Your attorney might determine that the driver speed and reckless behavior directly resulted in causing the crash and your injuries.
- Sleep-induced accidents – Lyft attempts to limit workers’ hours to avoid driver fatigue accidents and prohibits drivers from working other jobs. However, not all drivers obey company policies.
Consequently, the person driving your vehicle might be asleep at the wheel while driving you to your destination.
It is crucial to determine is whether the Lyft driver was acting reasonably to ensure your safety during your ride. If you were involved in a Lyft car accident, you need to file a compensation claim with a Chicago Lyft accident attorney to recover your monetary damages.
If Another Driver is Negligent
your Lyft accident might not have been caused by your driver. Instead, another motorists, trucker, motorcyclist, bicyclist, pedestrian, or another circumstance might very well be the source of your automobile injuries and losses.
Our Chicago Lyft accident lawyers investigate cases to determine who is responsible for the crash. We investigate the responsible party’s background and employer (if any), and the policy limits of their insurance coverage to determine the value of a potential personal injury claim.
Typically, our law firm handles Chicago car accidents involving:
- Head-on collisions
- Rear-end crashes
- T-bone accidents
- Sideswipe collisions
Lyft Vehicle Sexual Assault
Uber and Lyft drivers have been involved in many assault cases nationwide, including sexual abuse involving unsuspecting passengers. Common assault cases involve varying forms of abuse including:
- Physical abuse
- Sexual assault
- Mental abuse
- Emotional assault
Not all sexual assault cases have been involved the driver, but other passengers ridesharing to multiple destinations. If you were abuse or assaulted in a Lyft vehicle, speak with our Chicago Lyft accident team members about your legal options.
What To Do After a Lyft Car Accident
Our rideshare accident attorneys handle Chicagoland area Lyft car accidents. The steps to take after being involved in a crash include:
What I Should Do:
- Seek medical attention.
- Write down everything you remember about the incident, people involved, weather, and road conditions.
- Contact an experienced car accident attorney who can help you talked to the insurance company claims adjuster or prepare a compensation case for trial.
What I Should Not Do:
- Admit fault to anyone, especially the claims adjuster, insurance company, or police.
- Talk to an insurance company or the other party’s lawyer without legal representation by a competent attorney.
- Fail to get a medical diagnosis at the emergency room or urgent care center
- Go back to work before seeing a doctor and receiving care.
Financial Compensation Available Under Illinois Law to People Injured in an MVA Involving Rideshare Services
You might obtain financial compensation in an Illinois court if you can prove that Lyft or one of its drivers was negligent. To prove that, you must illustrate how the company or driver acted unreasonably and how that unreasonable conduct caused your damage that might include tangible or intangible injuries.
The compensation you might receive could pay for your emergency room expenses, medical treatment costs, lost income from missed work, long-term grief and suffering, and lost property. You might have the legal right to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit if a loved one or family member dies in a Lyft accident.
Wrongful death compensation can cover funeral expenses, burial costs, lost support, and companionship, in the non-economic damage of the incredible grief that follows. Speak to an experienced Chicago car accident lawyer to understand what recovery you might be entitled to receive after an Illinois rideshare accident.
Chicago Lyft Drivers Must Be Insured
All Lyft drivers are required to maintain an active commercial insurance policy to transport paid customers. It is illegal not to have insurance coverage and drive a Lyft vehicle.
Each state has explicit rules requiring Lyft drivers to display their personal data and insurance information conspicuously, so passengers know the driver is complying commercial auto insurance coverage laws. Lyft’s corporate office mandates that drivers ensure their vehicle to be used for commercial purposes.
However, it is crucial to know exactly what insurance coverage they carry. Most rideshare drivers are independent contractors and some maintain only a personal auto insurance policy covering the car when it is not used for commercial purposes.
The insurance policy must cover when the driver has the app off and is not transporting a passenger and when the app is on, but when there is no passenger in the vehicle, and, finally, when the app is on, and there is a passenger.
In the latter case, Lyft insures up to one million dollars for a passenger’s personal and property damage if the Lyft driver was at fault. While a million dollars might sound like sufficient coverage, it might pale in comparison to your actual damages from a Lyft accident claim.
Consider all your legal options to recover additional forms of compensation from every party responsible for causing your accident. An attorney working on your behalf can help.
Chicago Rideshare Company Laws Applicable to Lyft
In recent years, the City of Chicago passed laws specific to rideshare companies like Lyft and Uber. They generally regulate Lyft and Uber driver’s fitness, taxes, and background checks.
All Lyft drivers must adhere to specific regulations while driving passengers around the streets of Chicago include:
- Take a yearly test online.
- Obtain a chauffeur’s license.
- Display a 311 sign for complaint reporting.
- Drive a vehicle that is no more than six years old unless it is tested twice a year.
- Submit to drug testing and physical examinations if a paid passenger submits a complaint.
There are other relevant Lyft rules for Chicago, but these are some of the most important ones applicable to an injured party. Every lift operator must maintain a driver’s personal insurance coverage, including liability coverage.
The ride-sharing company liability insurance pays for any property damage, bodily injury, wrongful death, or uninsured motorist if the driver is involved in a Lyft or Uber accident.
Important Lyft Facts and Figures
Lyft Rideshare Growth 
Lyft Rideshare User Demographics 
Lyft Users Annually 
Sample Personal Injury Lawsuits Involving Lyft Cars
MAN SUES LYFT AFTER DUI ACCIDENT IN HUMBOLDT PARK, CHICAGO (Cook County, Illinois).
A June 2018 car crash victim filed a Lyft lawsuit stating he was a paid passenger in a vehicle operated by a Lyft driver. Another car crossed the median and slammed head-on into the Lyft rideshare car.
That driver was driving under the influence. The Lyft driver was not. The plaintiff sustained several non-life-threatening injuries. The other passenger died.
The plaintiff’s attorney claimed that Lyft and both drivers were contributorily negligent and responsible for the victim’s injuries. Those damages included physical, mental, and financial losses. A jury awaits this accident case absent a settlement.
FAMILY SUES LYFT DRIVER AFTER TRAGIC CHICAGO MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT (Cook County, Illinois).
While motorcyclist was riding along Cermak Road in Chicago’s Pilsen area, a negligent driver made a left turn without warning into the victim’s lane, striking him. Emergency responders transported the victim to Stroger Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Surviving family members of a Lyft accident victim who passed away in a motorcycle accident filed a civil lawsuit against the rideshare company and one of its drivers in late 2018. Their complaint argues their combined negligence caused his death and their damages.
The civil lawsuit complained that the driver did not yield or slow down before hitting the victim. The police reported that the Chicago Uber driver was intoxicated at the accident scene.
The plaintiffs asked for more than $50,000 as compensation for their damages paid for by the lift driver’s car insurance liability policy.
FAMILY BRINGS CASE AGAINST LYFT AFTER THEIR GREAT GRANDMOTHER IS INJURED IN CRASH (Cook County, Illinois).
A Chicago area Edgewater volunteer crossing guard was escorting children across the street while wearing a sign and holding up a stop sign. However, the sign did not stop a Lyft driver from running into her when not paying attention to the road that was attested to by the Lyft passenger.
The victim was severely injured and was transported to a nearby hospital where she slipped into a coma. Doctors described her situation as critical.
The woman’s many children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren filed a civil lawsuit seeking damages for the costs, pain, and suffering caused by the crash. The lawsuit targets both the driver and the ride-sharing service.
MAN SUES LYFT AFTER DANGEROUS RIDE.
In December 2017 two Chicago Lakeview neighborhood boys hopped in a Lyft car when an argument ensued between the driver and the riders. The boy state that the driver pulled a gun on them using homophobic slurs and other taunts, forcing them to exit the vehicle prematurely.
The alleged victims filed a civil lawsuit against the driver and the Lyft ridesharing program citing assault. Their complaint contends that the company promises a safe ride, free of discrimination, which was not delivered.
Further, the plaintiffs questioned what steps Lyft took to deliver on that promise and secure the safety of its riders. For these faults, the plaintiffs seek compensation in Illinois court for over $50,000.
Motor Vehicle Accident Settlements and Claims Against Lyft
PASSENGER GETS $70,000 FROM LYFT ACCIDENT.
A victim in Miami Shores, Florida riding as a passenger in a Lyft automobile was in an accident when another vehicle clipped the car. The rear-end accident produced minor damage to the car.
Yet, the passenger was transported to the emergency room. Doctors diagnosed his injuries or aggravations to the neck, spine, ankle, and wrist.
However, his doctors could not state whether these were new injuries or just inflammations of pre-existing injuries. Whatever the case, the man’s personal injury lawyers obtained $70,000 for his pain, medical bills, and other costs.
About $25,000 of the negotiated settlement was paid by the other driver’s insurance company. The rest came from the Lyft driver’s commercial insurance coverage.
LYFT SETTLES WITH CHICAGO FOR $4 MILLION.
The Lyft ridesharing company agreed to a negotiated settlement with the City of Chicago for $4 million. That agreement came after Lyft acknowledged that its background check and supervisory control of its drivers were deficient.
The city had previously allowed Lyft, Uber, and other ridesharing companies to conduct in-house background checks and monitoring processes. This settlement revealed errors in how Lyft and others conducted their diligence.
The ridesharing companies’ background check protocols did not connect the dots to actual crimes or accidents that have occurred. However, many critics state that these failures could have opened the door to assault, crashes, and other serious issues.
At the very least, this action should limit the possibility of violent crime occurring in ridesharing vehicles in the future.
CONVICTED TERRORIST ALLOWED TO DRIVE FOR LYFT.
Reports surfaced that Lyft allowed a convicted terrorist to drive for its Chicago ridesharing company. The independent company that conducts background checks on behalf of Lyft did not flag the man as a terrorist when he began working for the company.
An internal investigation revealed the man’s past. Lyft says it adheres to strict policies regarding passenger safety and driver vetting. However, the city of Chicago has cited Lyft hundreds of times and fined them millions of dollars.
Many people in Illinois have experienced accidents, assaults, and other events due to substandard drivers. Many drivers have, at times, slipped through Lyft’s vetting process.
Non-Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Against Lyft
WOMAN SUES AFTER SEXUAL ASSAULT INCIDENT IN LYFT CAR.
A Chicago area resident filed a civil lawsuit against Lyft in Cook County, Illinois, claiming the ride-sharing app business did not identify that one of its drivers had a criminal record. The lawsuit claims that Lyft failed to remove the driver before his assaulting her.
The incident occurred on the night in 2017 when the victim hailed the vehicle. Instead of taking her to her requested destination, he drove to a secluded area and sexually assaulted her at knife-point.
The woman’s lawyers criticized the company for its faulty background checks, monitoring system, and assault prevention plan. The complaint seeks damages for this negligent supervision.
The victim claims losses related to her physical, mental, and emotional damages.
LYFT DRIVER CHARGED ON SEXUAL ASSAULT CHARGES.
A middle-aged Lyft driver was arrested and booked on charges of sexual assault after picking up a passenger and shuttling the woman between two Illinois suburban towns. Along the way, the Lyft driver propositioned the underage passenger. The police arrested the Lyft driver after the victim told them what had happened.
The victim could file a claim against Lyft stating the company could have prevented the situation and acted unreasonably, leading to her emotional harm. In situations like this, victims often suffer some emotional, physical, and other harms.
These damages are recognizable in court, provided they meet the proper circumstances.
Contact Our Chicago Personal Injury Lawyers After a Lyft Incident to Learn About Your Legal Rights
Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC has represented people seriously injured in auto accidents involving rideshare services companies as big and powerful as Lyft and Uber. We realize the steps ridesharing businesses take to marginalize the stories and injuries of victims. We use the law to ensure that our clients get their day in court to speak the truth.
After a free case consultation, we can discuss the steps you need to receive financial compensation to recover your damages like hospital bills, lost wages, pain, mental anguish, and suffering. Act quickly, Illinois puts a strict two-year limit on most actions on how long you have the file a compensation case.
Contact our law firm today at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number) or through the contact form to schedule a free consultation. Our personal injury attorneys follow social distancing guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19 (coronavirus).
Further Reading and Sources