If you are involved in a car accident with a LYFT driver — either as a passenger or in another vehicle — you can file a lawsuit against LYFT. In California, the law requires rideshare companies such as LYFT to provide commercial insurance policies for their drivers. As a result, if a LYFT driver was responsible for causing an accident, then you can access LYFT’s insurance policy, or file a lawsuit against the company.
California law requires LYFT to have a commercial liability policy that provides coverage up to 1 million dollars per incident for bodily injury or property damage to passengers or third parties that are in a crash with a LYFT driver. This policy is in effect whenever a driver has a passenger in his or her vehicle, or when the driver has accepted a passenger and is en route to pick up the passenger. In addition, when a passenger is in the vehicle, LYFT must provide an additional 1 million dollars in coverage for uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. If the driver does not have a passenger, but has the app open and is waiting for a passenger, then LYFT must provide coverage of $50,000 for death and personal injury per person, $100,000 for death and personal injury per incident, $30,000 for property damage, plus minimum coverage of $200,000 in liability insurance for the driver.
However, if a driver is on his or her own time, then you can only recover from the driver’s personal insurance policy. This insurance may include minimal coverage under California law, which requires only $15,000 for death or personal injury per person, $30,000 in damages per accident, and $5,000 in property damage.
