Many people who file insurance claims with insurance companies do so with the hope that they will receive a speedy settlement amount and pay off any debts. In many cases, accidents result in cosmetic damage to vehicles; in worse events, the damage causes the car to break in some way or otherwise prevents it from working. The repair costs may be out of the victim’s reach, or the car may be written off as a total loss. Property damage claims are generally cleared pretty quickly, but for claims that involve physical injuries, the waiting process seems to take forever. Lyft is a rideshare company that practices these long waiting times in the wake of accidents – the company does everything it can to not pay out any settlements, and will go as far as to repeatedly deny your right to compensation. Our attorneys at Normandie Law Firm are experienced in dealing with Lyft accidents and insurance claims, and we will make sure you are paid in a timely manner. Clients often call us with questions about the time it takes to receive their settlements from Lyft. Examples of other questions include:
- How long does it take for Lyft to settle an accident claim?
- How long does it take for Lyft’s insurance to settle a claim?
- How long does it take York insurance to settle a car accident claim?
- How long does Lyft take to send a settlement check?
- How many months do I have to wait to get paid by Lyft after an accident?
Lyft’s Insurance Information
Lyft is a rideshare company that hit the roads on the heels of Uber’s success. Like Uber, it initially had a laissez-faire relationship with its drivers and customers; it was essentially a middleman app that allowed customers to be picked up, and it claimed no responsibility for the actions of the drivers. After a law was passed that required rideshare companies to treat its drivers similarly to employees and not merely as third-party or independent contractors, Lyft enacted an insurance policy for each of its drivers.
In normal situations, independent contractors’ actions cannot be attributed to the responsibility of the company for whom they are working. This is not the case for Lyft.
There are two different types of coverage in Lyft’s insurance policy; its drivers are afforded each one depending on what part of the trip they are currently in. For all intents and purposes, when a driver is not using the app to pick up customers, his own personal auto insurance is in effect. This was an important development, as personal auto insurance is not active during commercial driving for payment.
When the app is on and a driver is waiting for passengers, he has coverage of up to $50,000 for injuries (as well as $25,000 for property damage). This basic liability is enacted for all drivers who turn the app on and are about to start their shifts.
After a trip is accepted and a driver is en route to a passenger, this policy changes to $1,000,000, and it covers liability, uninsured motorists, and underinsured motorists. This extends to passengers in the vehicle as well. When the trip is over and the passenger has exited the vehicle, the insurance policy reverts back to the first state.
When You’re Injured
How much time it takes for your claim to go through depends on how active you are in badgering the insurance company, but it also depends on if you have all the materials needed.
If you are injured in a Lyft accident, you should make sure you have all the necessary information gathered together before you send out a claim. If you are simply pursuing compensation for damaged property to your vehicle, you may only need to gather photos of the accident scene, a traffic report, photos of damage to your car, and a mechanic’s estimate on repair costs. These settlements usually go through much faster, but still may take a few weeks.
In fact, most insurance companies take at minimum 3 weeks to receive and review an insurance claim. They often let these claims sit on desks for much longer, however, especially if there is a chance that the victim is asking for a sizeable sum. Lyft will usually deny that the injuries are as severe as the victim claims and that the medical treatments were unnecessary. It is a common practice to deny these things due to the prevalence of fraudulent insurance claims, but it does make it that much harder for the honest victims to receive compensation.
Keep in mind, however, that you can only submit an insurance claim to Lyft after you have completed your medical treatments or when you have reached the maximum medical improvement, or MMI. MMI occurs when you can still receive treatment, but there is nothing else that can make you get better; for example, you may only be able to bend your arm to a certain point after surgery if it were badly broken. You may never regain the full range of motion, so its improvement rating can be said to have reached its potential; you can, however, still receive medical treatment, like physical therapy, to improve your strength.
The reason that medical treatment must have come to an end is so Lyft’s insurance company can review the bills and determine how they factor into your settlement value. Although there is the opportunity for future costs of medical treatment to be estimated by an adequate doctor, past bills are more likely to be evaluated and recovered.
It can take some time for these bills to be evaluated, and Lyft may not outright issue a check for your damages until multiple negotiations with your lawyer have passed. It may even be necessary for your lawyer to continually remind Lyft that your claim is still waiting to be processed; for this reason, you should seek a law firm with expertise in handling Lyft claims.
Acts of Bad Faith
When an insurance company does not act in the best interests of those issuing claims and requesting settlements, it can be said to be acting in bad faith. A lawyer with experience in insurance bad faith claims who also has worked against Lyft can help you receive your fair compensation.
Some examples of acts of bad faith committed by insurance companies include inadequately or improperly investigating a claim, refusal to defend lawsuits, fabrication or misattribution of causes of an accident, threatening the insured or person issuing the claim, deliberately misinterpreting the insurance policy, delaying handling a claim or delaying a payout for no disclosed reason, and offering a sum that is well below what should reasonably be offered.
If an insurance agent is acting in such a way, you may be able to file a lawsuit for bad faith that seeks restitution for these acts.
Normandie Law Firm: The Firm for You
Normandie Law Firm is here to help you earn your settlement from Lyft’s Insurance company (York Insurance). We will relentlessly go after the necessary agents and adjusters responsible for processing your claim and make them speed the process up. Our aggressive attorneys do not let our clients sit on their hands while waiting for settlements; we actively engage with Lyft and do not rest.
Call us today to receive a free legal consultation on your case. We will tell you how long we expect it to take to bring you a settlement and give you any information you want regarding the legal process. You can ask any questions you think of and an experienced attorney will answer.
Further, we offer you a zero fee guarantee on your claim. You pay no out of pocket expenses for our legal services; our payment comes from the settlement we earn for you, and if we lose, you don’t owe us a penny.
To speak to a lawyer in Los Angeles, CA, regarding your Lyft insurance settlement, contact Normandie Law Firm today.
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