A Lyft accident can leave you dealing with painful injuries, medical bills, missed work, and insurance companies that seem more interested in avoiding responsibility than helping you recover. Unlike most car accidents, rideshare crashes involve multiple insurance policies, and determining which one applies isn’t always straightforward.
Meyerkord & Kurth helps injured people in O’Fallon navigate these claims and pursue the compensation they deserve. Contact our O’Fallon car accident lawyers to seek compensation and schedule your free consultation today.
Why Meyerkord & Kurth Is the Right Call After a Lyft Accident
Accidents involving rideshare services like Lyft can get complicated, but Meyerkord & Kurth is ready to fight for your best outcome. Here’s why clients choose us:
- Combined experience you can trust: Our attorneys bring over a century of legal injury experience to every claim.
- Hundreds of millions of dollars recovered: We’ve secured more than $450 million in settlement and verdicts.
- St. Louis knowledge: Serving the local community for 40+ years means we understand not just the roadways where Lyft cases happen, but the way regional insurers approach rideshare claims.
When you work with us you’re working with a team who cares about your case as much as you do.
Why Lyft Accident Victims Need Legal Help With Their Claims
A crash involving a Lyft raises a question ordinary accidents don’t, generally about whose insurance applies to the case. The answer depends on what the driver was doing in the app at the moment of impact, which is sometimes more complicated than it seems. Here’s why you need a lawyer:
- Lyft’s coverage changes by period, based on their app status and what they were doing. A lawyer can determine which coverage period applied and which insurance policy is responsible.
- Personal auto insurers and rideshare insurers routinely point at each other, leaving injured people waiting. Your attorney will help you fight for what’s yours.
- A lawyer looks for every possible path for compensation and makes sure the insurance companies know you won’t be giving up.
Whether you were a Lyft passenger, another driver, a cyclist, or a pedestrian, your rights differ slightly, and a lawyer makes sure your specific position is considered when you file your claim.
How Lyft Insurance Coverage Works and How to Get Paid
The central question in most Lyft accident claims is which insurance applies, and the answer depends on what the driver was doing in the app at the moment of the crash. Lyft’s coverage is divided into periods:
- App off: The driver is just a private person driving their own car. Only their personal auto insurance applies, and Lyft’s coverage is not involved at all.
- App on, waiting for a ride request: Lyft provides limited liability coverage that applies if the driver’s personal policy doesn’t cover the crash. This is the thinnest layer of rideshare coverage, and it’s where disputes are most common.
- Ride accepted or passenger in the car: Lyft’s largest coverage applies, which is commercial-level liability protection covering injuries the driver causes, from the moment a ride is accepted until the passenger is dropped off.
The period at the moment of impact decides which policy pays and how much coverage exists, which is why the driver’s app status is one of the first facts that needs to be established in any Lyft case.
Sometimes a Lawsuit Needs To Be Filed
Most Lyft accident claims resolve through the insurance process, but not all of them. If the insurers dispute coverage, deny fault, or refuse to offer what your injuries are actually worth, the next step is filing a lawsuit. In some cases, filing a lawsuit changes the conversation because the insurance company must begin preparing to defend its position in court. This can lead to a better settlement offer.
How Long You Have to File a Lyft Accident Lawsuit in Missouri
Missouri generally gives you five years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit, which is longer than most states allow. Don’t let that number make you comfortable. The evidence that wins rideshare cases, like app data showing the driver’s status, dashcam footage, and witness memories, disappears long before any deadline arrives, and insurance claims should be started promptly regardless of when a lawsuit would need to be filed.
The filing deadline is the outer limit, not the schedule. Starting early is how you make sure the deadline never matters.
Find Out What Your O’Fallon Lyft Accident Claim Is Worth
After a Lyft accident, you shouldn’t have to figure out rideshare insurance rules while you’re recovering from an injury. That’s our job. Contact Meyerkord & Kurth and we’ll determine which coverage applies to your crash, deal with every insurer involved, and pursue the full value of your claim. Your consultation is free, and you pay no attorney fees unless we win.