Lyft Accident Injury Attorneys in West Palm Beach, FL Get Compensation for Individuals Injured in Rideshare Accidents in Palm Beach County and Throughout Florida
Every year countless tourists and South Florida residents use Lyft or Uber to get where they need to or want to go. Some use it to go shopping or to the beach, and others use it to get to and from the airport. The overwhelming majority of the time, the experience is satisfactory—or better than satisfactory—at a lower cost than one would probably pay for a taxi. But even a cursory Internet search reveals all manner of horror stories, many of which involve motor vehicle accidents of one kind or another. So if you’ve had the misfortune of being injured in an accident involving a Lyft driver, it’s advisable to reach out to a West Palm Beach Lyft accident lawyer as soon as practicable to learn about your legal rights and discern whether you may be entitled to financial compensation.
If you do take advantage of a free consultation, be sure to ask whether the law firm has experience handling cases involving Lyft (or Uber). For one, cases involving Lyft drivers are extra complicated, in part because it’s an evolving area of law, and in part, because Lyft-related lawsuits often involve additional parties, and therefore require additional resources—the kind of resources that many South Florida law firms do not have at their disposal. If you retain an average South Florida personal injury attorney, you run the risk of leaving money on the table—or having your case compromised—because your lawyer doesn’t understand or know the intricacies of the law, or he or she can’t devote the time or resources that your case deserves.
At Gonzalez & Cartwright, P.A., we have been handling Lyft accident cases for years. For her part, Adriana Gonzalez has helped injured clients recover over $30 million in total compensation, with many of her cases involving auto accidents. Meanwhile, attorney Charles Cartwright has more than 20 years of experience practicing law and handling car accident cases—and has been following Lyft’s progress and working on Lyft accident lawsuits almost as long as Lyft has been operating in our region. Moreover, he has an AV-rating with Martindale-Hubbell (a lawyer rating service that provides both peer and client reviews), which is the highest rating that an attorney can receive. In other words, either would make a great choice for anyone in need of West Palm Beach car accident lawyers. And if you’re a member of the local Hispanic community, know too that Gonzalez & Cartwright, P.A., has been serving that community ever since the firm opened its doors in 2010. In fact, many of the attorneys and staffers are bilingual, and Spanish is frequently heard around our office. So if you or a family member or loved one has been injured in a Lyft accident anywhere in South Florida, we encourage you to give Gonzalez & Cartwright, P.A., a call.
Injuries Seen in Lyft Accidents
As one might expect, the injuries we typically see in accidents involving Lyft drivers typically mirror the ones we see in “regular” car accidents. That is, we see traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, broken bones, torn ligaments, disfigurement & scarring, and all manner of other life-changing issues.
But it’s especially important to contact West Palm Beach Lyft Accident Lawyers in the wake of a Lyft crash because it can be a real challenge to recover full and fair compensation in these cases. One reason is policy limits. Also, if you were a passenger in a Lyft vehicle there are several potential stumbling blocks that can make it difficult to recover compensation from the Lyft driver’s insurance company.
7 Things to Do After a Lyft Accident in West Palm Beach, FL
So what are best practices for victims of accidents involving a Lyft driver? Generally speaking you want to take many of the same steps you would following any automobile accident. These include:
- Call emergency responders and make sure you receive medical attention.
- Make sure that the police create a police report.
- Exchange contact information and insurance information with the other parties involved in the wreck.
- Take photos of the accident scene and the damage to all involved vehicles.
- Obtain contact information from individuals who witnessed the accident, if any.
- To the extent you can, take photos of the injuries you have suffered—close up and from a wider perspective.
- If you were a passenger in a Lyft vehicle, get your driver’s name (from the app) and take a screenshot of the ride within the app, as you want to be able to prove you took the ride.
You may even want to print out this list and keep it in the glovebox of your car, along with the toll-free phone number for our law firm. After all, even the most composed individuals experience a surge of adrenaline and go into something of a state of shock following a car wreck, and it can be hard to remember all the things you should be doing if you don’t have a written list handy.
Also, when in doubt, err on the side of going to the hospital as opposed to trying to “shake off” any injuries. The burst of adrenaline you experience may mask what are later revealed to be serious and painful injuries. If you find yourself in pain after the initial shock of the accident wears off, get to a doctor as soon as possible.
By the same token, you should call West Palm Beach Lyft accident lawyers at your earliest convenience. Not only can an experienced attorney help you to deal with insurance adjusters and medical providers, he or she may also want to send a letter to Lyft, one that asks the company to preserve evidence relating to your ride—evidence that might not otherwise be retained.
Attorneys Gonzalez & Cartwright Are Detail-Oriented Lyft Accident Lawyers in West Palm Beach, FL
At Gonzalez & Cartwright, P.A., retaining and recovering evidence is all part of our diligent effort to explore and pursue every possible area of recovery. Our West Palm Beach Lyft Accident Lawyers and staffers have earned a reputation for going the extra mile for our clients, and for offering them the personal attention they deserve. In fact, every client receives the personal cell phone number of his or her attorney, so legal advice (or a compassionate ear) is never more than a personal phone call away.
And if English isn’t your first language, that’s never a problem, as most of our West Palm Beach personal injury attorneys and staffers are bilingual, with deep roots in the local Hispanic community.
Schedule Your Free Consultation Today
So if you or a loved one has been injured in a Lyft accident anywhere in the southern part of Florida, contact our offices using this online contact form, to schedule a free initial consultation. We serve all of the communities in both Broward County and Palm Beach County.
Frequently Asked Questions About West Palm Beach Lyft Accidents
Under current law, a prospective Lyft driver must undergo and local and national background check, and there is also a driving record search and a search of the National Sex Offender Registry. Prospective taxi medallion holders undergo a more stringent review process, including what is called a Level 2 background check, which includes fingerprinting, a statewide criminal history screening, and national criminal history screening. If any felonies are discovered within the prior seven years, it disqualifies the applicant. An in-person interview is also required at the end of the process.
No, Lyft is required to do a background check on each of its drivers every three years.