Lawsuit Claims Drunk Lyft Driver Caused Serious Car Crash

Image courtesy of Lyft

Having someone else drive when you’ve had a few too many alcoholic beverages is always important — but what if the person you hire to drive you is the one who’s drunk? Two Lyft passengers in California say their trip ended with a terrifying crash because their driver was intoxicated.

The two women said they’d ordered a Lyft at around 10 a.m. after having a few drinks and watching football last September, CBS San Francisco reports. But the trip nearly killed them, they claim, after their driver allegedly made an illegal left turn through oncoming traffic and collided with other cars.

“I kind of felt us turning left, and next think I know, I was flipping,” sone woman told the station.

“I thought I was going to die in that car,” the other said, adding “You can’t believe at 10:00 in the morning that a Lyft driver is going to be picking you up drunk.”

Police arrested him on suspicion of being under the influence. Both passengers were taken to the hospital with bruises, cuts, and soreness, while one woman claims she suffered a heart attack immediately after the collision.

Lyft says it’s permanently banned the driver from the platform.

“Safety is our top priority and we were saddened to hear about this incident,” the company said in a statement. “We have a strict zero-tolerance drug and alcohol policy for Lyft drivers and any behavior threatening the safety of a Lyft community member is not tolerated.”

One of the women says that despite the fact that she’s an Uber driver, she won’t be able to get in another ride-sharing vehicle and be comfortable ever again. In fact, she’s questioning the industry’s hiring practices.

“I applied and did the application and gave them all my information and I was approved within 24 hours,” she said. “I’m not sure that’s adequate to actually check my background.”

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