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Uber revealed that they received 5,981 allegations of serious sexual assault in the U.S. over the course of 2017 and 2018, and 3,045 last year alone. Of those sexual assaults complaints, 235 were reports of rape in 2018, up from 229 in 2017 and 280 were reports of attempted rape in 2018, down from 307 in 2017. There were 1,560 reports of groping in 2018, up from 1,440 in 2017 and 376 reports of unwanted kissing on the mouth, breast or buttocks, down from 390 in 2017.
Another 594 reports in 2018 involved unwanted kissing of a different body part, up from 570 in 2017.
While Lyft has not voluntarily released any sexual assault information as of yet in a U.S. Safety Report like Uber, the company has been slapped with a string of lawsuits over alleged sexual assault, sexual misconduct or rape by drivers while using its service. While there is no publicly available data on the number of sexual assaults allegedly committed by Lyft drivers, a 2018 CNN investigation found that at least 18 Lyft drivers in the United States have been accused of sexually assaulting or abusing their passengers since 2014.
Anytime you choose to get into an Uber or a Lyft vehicle, you run the risk of potentially being harmed by the driver. The reality is that because you are using the apps to receive services, the companies are responsible for any harm you suffer, especially if they are carried out by the drivers. Most poeple use rideshare services like Uber and Lyft to get home after going out drinking, which makes them prime targets for sexual assault. If you have been the victim of sexual assault in an Uber or Lyft vehicle, you should contact our Uber & Lyft Sexual Assault Attorneys at Whittel & Melton for more assistance. We can listen to your case and most importantly, help you take the necessary legal action against the responsible Uber or Lyft driver.
One of the many problems that Uber and Lyft have is handling sexual assault. While the companies do conduct background checks on their drivers, the sad reality is that many of these background checks only investigate as far back as seven years. So anything that happened before that may not be known to the employer. What this means is that many people who have a criminal past are hired as drivers.
In the event of a sexual attack, both the driver and the company can be held responsible. If you were harmed in an Uber or Lyft vehicle, our Uber & Lyft Sexual Assault Attorneys at Whittel & Melton can help.
If you were sexually attacked by your Uber or Lyft driver, we recommend taking the following steps:
Sexual assault by rideshare drivers is a common occurrence, unfortunately. Sexual assault can take various forms, such as rape or attempted rape, as well as any unwanted sexual contact or threats. This can occur when someone touches any part of another person’s body in a sexual way, even through clothes, without that person’s consent. Examples of sexual attacks include:
In many Uber and Lyft sexual assault cases, the victims are those who have been drinking or who are intoxicated. We want to make it very clear that just because you are intoxicated, it does not give the ride share driver the right to violate your consent, and it does not mean you are in any state to properly give consent in the first place. If you think that you have been sexually assaulted by your Uber or Lyft driver, we can help you.
If an Uber or Lyft driver touched you without your consent, you have every right to take legal action against the individual and the company for damages stemming from the incident. A lawsuit filed by an Uber or Lyft passenger for sexual assault can result in compensation for medical costs, including past, present, and future expenses related to the incident, lost wages from missed days at work from the past and future, pain and suffering damages, and punitive damages (damages meant to punish the defendant and dissuade them from an future incidents.)
If you were harmed in a rideshare incident, you will need the assistance of an attorney with experience in Uber driver and Uber passenger sexual harassment lawsuitslet our Uber & Lyft Sexual Assault Attorneys at Whittel & Melton help you.
Call us today at 866-608-5529 to receive a free legal consultation with our Sexual Abuse Injury Lawyers in Florida. We will happily explain the merits of your case, and help you through the legal process. If you choose to proceed with a lawsuit, we will charge no upfront fees of any kind. We only get paid if we recover financial compensation on your behalf.