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.