Category: Motor vehicle accidents

After the death of a Lyft passenger, the family filed a lawsuit against the company. The lawsuit alleges, among other things, that the company’s application process, which is done entirely online, is not sufficient to properly vet drivers and to keep passengers safe.

The lawsuit stems from the death of a Lyft passenger in January 2018. He went to a restaurant and then a bar in West Hollywood. A friend ordered a Lyft vehicle to pick him up and transport him to the friend’s home. On the way, the Lyft driver and the passenger became involved in an argument. The Lyft driver pulled over to the side of a busy freeway, pepper-sprayed the passenger, ejected him from the vehicle, and left him on the side of the freeway. The passenger was later struck by a car and killed.

According to the lawsuit, Lyft’s processes for screening drivers is inadequate. In order to become a Lyft driver, drivers apply online through Lyft’s website. There are only three steps involved: completing an online application and driver profile, undergoing a background check and driving record check, and passing a vehicle inspection. Lyft drivers have to be 21 and own an iPhone or an Android phone. There are no additional requirements to be Lyft drivers. Lyft does not conduct its own background checks. The background checks are performed by a third-party company, and extend for only seven years, which according to the lawsuit may not uncover all criminal conduct or driving history. Drivers are not fingerprinted.

The lawsuit claims that because of Lyft’s inadequate screening and hiring procedures, passengers may be exposed to unsafe and unfit drivers. The lawsuit also claims that Lyft did not conduct an adequate background check on the Lyft driver involved in this case. The company did not meet with him in person before hiring him, look at his safety record, or check his employment references.

Transporting passengers for hire is a huge responsibility, and companies who do that have a duty to ensure that their drivers are suitable for the job. If you have been hurt by a Lyft or an Uber driver, you should speak with an attorney. Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles personal injury attorney, at 310-385-0567. I can help. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation on your case.

Lyft, the large ride share company which is a competitor of Uber, was recently sued in a California court for negligence, among other things, related to the death of passenger. The passenger’s parents blame their son’s death on the wrongful actions of the Lyft driver.

The death occurred in January 2018 when the decedent went out to eat at a restaurant and then to a bar with friends in West Hollywood. At 11:30 p.m., the decedent’s friend ordered a Lyft vehicle to take him from West Hollywood to Long Beach.

A Lyft vehicle picked up the decedent. There were two other passengers in the vehicle at the time. The driver dropped them off and then drove alone with the decedent. At some point later, an argument between the decedent and the Lyft driver developed. The driver pulled his vehicle over, stopped on the I-110 southbound, pepper-sprayed the decedent and ejected him from the vehicle, leaving him on the shoulder of the freeway. The decedent was later struck by an unknown vehicle, which failed to stop, and decedent was killed.

The lawsuit alleges that Lyft owed their customer a duty to use the utmost care for his safe carriage, including a duty to prevent harm to him. This is the duty that common carriers (individuals or businesses who transport passengers for hire) owe to their passengers under California law. The lawsuit alleges that Lyft was at the very least negligent by breaching its duty of reasonable care, which caused the death of the passenger.

Ride share companies such as Lyft and Uber owe a duty to their passengers to exercise great care in transporting passengers. If a driver fails in his or her duty, the company may be held liable for the driver’s actions. Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles personal injury attorney, at 310-385-0567 if you have been injured by the wrongful actions of a Lyft or Uber driver. I can help. Call to learn more or to schedule a free consultation.

A lawsuit was recently filed in a California court against Lyft as well as a Lyft driver after a Lyft passenger was killed. The passenger was being transported in a Lyft vehicle when he and the Lyft driver became involved in a verbal altercation. The Lyft driver pulled over to the side of a busy freeway, ejected the passenger from the car, pepper-sprayed him, and left him on the side of the freeway. The passenger was struck by another vehicle and died from his injuries.

The parents of the man who was killed have sued Lyft for the man’s wrongful death. The lawsuit claims that Lyft failed to provide the “utmost care” for its passengers. Lyft is a ridesharing service that connects drivers with vehicles and passengers who need a ride. Lyft’s website states that it provides over one million rides per day, and operates in over 360 communities, serving nearly 80 percent of the U.S. population.

Under California law, Lyft qualifies as a common carrier, which is a business that transports people for hire. Common carriers in California are required to use the “utmost care and diligence” for the safe carriage of those people, including the passenger who was killed. The lawsuit alleges that Lyft and the driver for Lyft failed to use the utmost care and diligence, which resulted in his death.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident involving the wrongful actions of a rideshare company, such as Lyft or Uber, you should speak with an attorney. If you’re in California, call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles personal injury attorney, at 310-385-0567. I can help. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation.

All people in the U.S. have a legal duty to act reasonably in order to avoid injuring other people. This is called a duty of care. If a person fails to meet this duty, he or she may be liable for any injuries that result to others.

The duty to act in a reasonable manner is the normal duty of care that applies to most situations. However, in some situations, there are higher duties of care. One of those situations involves common carriers. A common carrier is someone who transports people for hire. This includes bus drivers, airplane pilots, train drivers, and drivers for Uber and Lyft. Common carriers owe a particularly high duty of care to passengers.

When a driver for Uber or Lyft fails to act reasonably and a passenger is harmed as a result, the driver and possibly the company can be held liable for negligence. In order to win a lawsuit for negligence, the victim must prove that he or she was owed a duty of care, that duty of care was breached, there were damages as a result, and that the defendant’s actions caused the damages.

Recently, a Lyft driver in California was sued for failing to safely transport his passenger to his destination. He became involved in an argument with the passenger, ejected him from the vehicle, pepper-sprayed him, and left him on the side of the freeway, where he was later struck by another vehicle and killed.

If you have been harmed by a driver for Uber or Lyft, you should speak with an attorney. Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles personal injury attorney, at 310-385-0567. I can help. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation on your case.

A lawsuit was recently filed in California related to the death of a passenger who was in a Lyft vehicle. In the lawsuit, Lyft is accused of failing to properly screen drivers before hiring them, among other things.

The lawsuit stemmed from the death of a passenger in a Lyft vehicle. He was picked up at a restaurant and was to be transported to a friend’s house. On the way, he got into an argument with the Lyft driver. The driver then pepper-sprayed him, ejected him from the vehicle, and left him beside the freeway, where he was later struck and killed.

According to the lawsuit, Lyft’s website claims that it is “Serious About Safety”. However, according to the lawsuit, the entire application process to become a Lyft driver is online. Lyft does not verify that the documents submitted online are accurate. Lyft does not require its drivers to attend training classes, take road tests, or do anything else to prove their fitness as drivers. Instead, drivers apply online through the website. They only must complete three steps: an online application and driver profile, a background check and a driving record check, and pass a vehicle inspection. Lyft does not conduct its own background checks, but instead outsources them to a third-party company. The background checks extend only for a period of seven years. Lyft does not require fingerprinting of drivers.

The lawsuit claims that Lyft cannot ensure that its procedures for outsourcing background checks are adequate to prevent dangerous drivers from registering as Lyft drivers. The lawsuit also claims that Lyft did not do an adequate background check on the Lyft driver involved in the incident. Lyft did not meet him in person, determine his fitness to be a driver, or check his references.

If you believe that you have been harmed by a Lyft driver or an Uber driver, you should speak with an attorney. Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles personal injury attorney at 310-385-0567. I can help. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation on your case.

Lyft was recently sued in a California court for the death of a passenger. The lawsuit alleges that the death was a result of the company’s negligent actions in hiring, training, and retaining drivers.

The death occurred when a Lyft driver was called to pick up a passenger in the Los Angeles area. During the ride, the passenger and the Lyft driver became involved in an argument. At some point, the driver pepper-sprayed the passenger and ejected him from the vehicle on the side of the freeway. The passenger was later struck by another vehicle, which fled the scene. The passenger died at the hospital.

The passenger’s parents sued Lyft, claiming that the company owed the passenger a duty to use the utmost care and diligence in transporting him. The lawsuit alleges that the company failed to use a high level of care, which resulted in the man’s death. The lawsuit claims that the company knows that its screening processes to hire Lyft drivers are inadequate and unsafe, which can lead passengers to be exposed to a risk of serious harm or death. All of the hiring processes are done online, and the company uses third parties to do background checks on drivers, which only go back a period of seven years and therefore may not uncover all of the criminal history of a driver.

If you have been the victim of wrongful actions of a Lyft or Uber driver, you should speak with an attorney. If you’re in the Los Angeles area, call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles personal injury attorney, at 310-385-0567. I can help. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation on your case.

In August, a lawsuit was filed against Lyft for wrongful death. The company was sued because of the death of a passenger. The passenger was riding in the Los Angeles area when he got into an argument with the Lyft driver. The driver pepper-sprayed him, kicked him out of the vehicle, and left him on the side of the freeway. He was later struck by a vehicle and died at the hospital.

The lawsuit claims that Lyft’s processes for hiring, training, and retaining drivers is inadequate. According to the lawsuit, Lyft does not properly screen or evaluate drivers. Instead, Lyft streamlines the process so it can hire as many drivers as cheaply as possible. The process to become a Lyft driver is entirely done online, and Lyft doesn’t verify that the documents submitted are accurate. Drivers do not attend classes, pass tests, or do any other type of assessments.

Uber’s process for hiring drivers is similar. According to Uber’s website, to drive with Uber you must meet a minimum age requirement, have a valid driver’s license and a four-door vehicle. Uber also conducts a criminal background check. There are no training classes, driving tests, or other requirements.

As more and more people are harmed because of the reckless actions of rideshare drivers, Uber and Lyft are coming under scrutiny for their loose standards. If you have been harmed by the actions of a rideshare driver, you should speak with an attorney. Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles personal injury attorney, at 310-385-0567. I can help. Call today to learn more or to schedule your free consultation.

Lyft was recently sued in a California court for its treatment of a passenger, who later died as a result of the actions of the Lyft driver. The lawsuit is seeking damages for wrongful death, and is asking that his parents be awarded punitive damages which are designed to punish the wrongdoers for their actions.

The Lyft passenger went out to eat at a restaurant and a bar in West Hollywood in January 2018. A friend of the man ordered a Lyft for him to take him to the friend’s residence. On the drive, the passenger got into an argument with the driver. The driver pulled the vehicle over on the freeway, pepper-sprayed the passenger, and kicked him out of the car, leaving him on the shoulder of the freeway. The passenger was later struck by another vehicle and died at the hospital.

The passenger’s parents sued Lyft for wrongful death. In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs claim that Lyft’s process for hiring and training drivers is inadequate. Lyft’s entire application process is online. It outsources background checks to a third-party company, and the background process only goes back seven years. The drivers are not trained by Lyft. According to the lawsuit, Lyft’s website claims that it is “Serious About Safety” and that “We Go the Extra Mile for Safety”.

The lawsuit is seeking damages from both Lyft and from the driver. If you have been injured by the wrongful actions of a rideshare driver, either as a passenger, or in an accident, call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles rideshare accident attorney, at 310-385-0567. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation.

It depends on the situation. Normally, in order to sue, you have to have quantifiable damages. Therefore, if you were simply ejected from the vehicle and became angry but suffered no harm, it’s likely you wouldn’t be successful in a case against the company or the driver. If, however, you were ejected from an Uber or Lyft vehicle and you suffered damages as a result, you may be able to sue the company, the driver, or both.

Anyone who transports passengers for money is legally considered a common carrier. Common carriers legally owe their passengers a duty to use a high level of care in transporting them. Uber and Lyft drivers are common carriers, and therefore must take special precautions when driving with their passengers. If they fail to transport their passenger in a safe manner, the driver, the company, or both can be held legally liable.

Recently, Lyft and a driver for Lyft were sued for wrongful death in a California court. The Lyft driver involved transported a passenger in the Los Angeles area but became engaged in a verbal altercation with him. The Lyft driver then ejected him from the vehicle, pepper-sprayed him, and left him on the side of a busy freeway. The passenger was later struck and killed by another vehicle.

If you have been harmed by an Uber or Lyft driver, you should speak with an attorney. Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles rideshare negligence attorney at 310-385-0567.  Call today to learn more or to schedule your free consultation.

I’m sorry to hear about your accident. In many cases, you may be unable to seek damages from the company. However, you should speak with an experienced personal injury attorney about your case.

When an employee gets hurt on the job, the injured worker can normally recover either workers’ compensation from the employer or can sue the employer for his or her injuries. However, when an independent contractor is injured on the job, the injured worker cannot automatically seek workers’ compensation benefits. If the company was negligent, and the negligence caused the driver’s injuries, the injured worker may be able to recover.

Uber, Lyft, and other ridesharing companies typically classify their drivers as independent contractors. As a result, they are normally left without workers’ compensation benefits if they are injured in an accident. Driving passengers for hire can be a dangerous job, both because of the danger of automobile accidents as well as potential violence from passengers.

Unfortunately, some rideshare companies also fail to maintain adequate insurance or protections for drivers who are involved in an accident. In some cases, the ridesharing drivers may get more compensation from an insurance company for the other driver involved in the accident than from the ridesharing company.

If you are a driver for Uber or Lyft and you have been involved in an accident, call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles personal injury attorney, at 310-385-0567. My team can help. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation on your case.