Uber & Lyft Sexual Assault

Florida Sexual Abuse Injury Attorneys Whittel & Melton

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.

Uber and Lyft Sexual Assault

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.

What Do I Do If I Was Sexually Assaulted by My Uber or Lyft Driver?

If you were sexually attacked by your Uber or Lyft driver, we recommend taking the following steps:

• Get medical care right away for any injuries and get a rape kit if you were sexually assaulted.
• Report the incident to the police immediately so that they can get any pertinent details while they are fresh on your mind, such as the driver’s description, his license plate number, the details of the car, and any other important facts.
• Report the incident to Uber or Lyft.
• For Uber, you can do so here: Uber Help – Report a Serious Incident Involving a Driver or Vehicle
• For Lyft, you can do so here: Lyft Help – Report a Safety Incident or Citation
• Take a screenshot of your app to show that you were in the middle of a ride or that you had been in the car with the individual.
• Get a bank statement of your charges from Lyft or Uber for the ride.
• Take pictures of all of your injuries.
• If there happened to be any witnesses, ask for their statements and get their information so that they can be called upon at a later date if need be.
• Contact our Uber & Lyft Sexual Assault Attorneys at Whittel & Melton who can handle your claim for you.

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:

• Touching
• Groping
• Fondling
• Rape
• Sexual abuse
• Highly suggestive or inappropriate remarks
• Unwanted kissing
• Any other unwanted or unwarranted sexual contact

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.

Filing a Sexual Assault Lawsuit Against Uber or Lyft

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.

Contact Our Florida Uber & Lyft Sexual Assault Attorneys at Whittel & Melton

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.