Uber and Lyft sued by Detroit woman

via taxi-point http://bit.ly/2RoWemG

A woman is suing both Uber and Lyft after being injured in a high speed collision.

54 year old Sheila Hawkins, from Detroit, Michigan, was a passenger in a vehicle on the Lyft platform, on her way to a chiropractic appointment, when Ms Hawkins alleges that the driver became distracted by the Uber and Lyft apps on his phone.

It is alleged that as a result of the distraction from the apps, which send job notifocations to the drivers phone, he ploughed into the back of a stationary tractor-trailer at approximately 70 mph.

The Detroit Free Press reported that the accident, which occured on October 17 2017, left both the driver and passenger with critical injuries.

According to MsHawkins attorney, Jim Rasor, she suffered life altering injuries, including traumatic brain injuries as well as spinal injuries that have left her unable to work, and needing assistance in her home.

Ome of the factors highlighted in the Hawkins' lawsuit is that both Lyft and Uber should know that it is distracting to send notifications to drivers who are driving or in transit.

Ms Hawkins legal team are going after Lyft's $1-million third-party liability insurance policy, which covers drivers who are using the platform. A similar, smaller policy also covers Uber drivers who are in pickup mode on the platform. Both companies could be sued for millions of dollars more in this case, which highlights the dangers of the notification system on both platforms.

December 29, 2018 at 12:25AM http://bit.ly/2UVulRY Steve Kenton THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT