I-Team: Lyft Says Owners Of Totaled Vehicles Will Have Damages Covered
BOSTON (CBS) - Vehicle owners whose cars were totaled in a downtown crash involving a Boston fire truck are now learning they will receive insurance payments from Lyft to cover the damages.
The development comes after a WBZ I-Team investigation, which found new rideshare legislation in Massachusetts does not require nearly enough property damage insurance coverage to pay all the claims from the accident.
Catherine Pinto, a 26-year-old who lives near the crash scene on Commonwealth Avenue, was very surprised to initially learn she might not receive compensation.
Her Jeep Grand Cherokee was the first parked vehicle struck by the fire truck on October 31. The collision set off a domino effect of damage that included two BMWs, an Audi, a Mercedes and a Land Rover.
Police cited a Lyft driver for pulling in front of the fire truck as it was responding to an emergency.
According to rideshare legislation passed last summer, when drivers working for Uber or Lyft have accepted a ride request or are carrying a passenger, the companies provide a $1 million insurance policy.
However, the driver involved in the crash with the fire truck only had his Lyft app turned on, and had not been paired with a passenger yet. In that situation, Lyft is still the primary insurance policy, but the amount of required property damage coverage drops to only $30,000.
A day after the I-Team story, Pinto heard from Lyft that the rideshare company planned to cover the damage.
"I'm very happy to hear that Lyft corporate is taking responsibility," Pinto told WBZ. "I will hopefully finally have a way of getting to doctor's appointments, work and grocery shopping after weeks of being without a car. It has been a frustrating process for something that should have been a lot simpler and am glad that Lyft has recognized that."
Lyft spokeswoman Chelsea Harrison told the I-Team the company understood the frustration surrounding the "highly unusual accident."
"We are working with our insurer and claims adjuster to expedite the investigation and claims payments to ensure coverage for the property damage suffered," Harrison said.
When lawmakers passed the rideshare legislation, they directed the Department of Insurance to keep an eye on the issue and make recommendations if there is a part of the legislation that he thinks should be tweaked.
Ryan Kath can be reached at rkath@cbs.com. You can follow him on Twitter or connect on Facebook.