Holding Uber & Lyft Accountable for Passenger Safety - Colorado Springs Sexual Assault Attorneys

The Colorado Springs Airport set a record in 2023 with the most enplanements in over two decades. This busy airport is a popular alternative to Denver International due to its easy access and growing number of nonstop flights. The additional traffic also creates more business for rideshare companies in the city.

Travelers see ridesharing as an easy way to attend professional conferences and tourist attractions. What they don’t always see are the risks associated with rides. Unfortunately, Colorado Springs attorneys have become very familiar with those risks.

Sexual assaults have become a problem for rideshare companies, and Uber and Lyft are facing numerous lawsuits filed by victims of these attacks. The compassionate Colorado Springs sexual assault attorneys at Carabin Shaw help victims pursue compensation for physical and psychological injuries while holding companies responsible for their failure to keep passengers safe. If you have been the victim of an attack, contact us 24/7 at 800-862-1260 for a free case review.

When Uber started in Colorado Springs in 2014, the company did not share statistics on passenger assaults. It published its first safety report at the end of 2019 and has since shared numbers from 2017 to 2020. The company received 3,824 sexual assault reports during 2019 and 2020. Lyft had 1,807 reports of sexual assaults in 2019 alone. The companies have not released numbers since 2020, but sexual assault reports continue to be filed.

Sexual assault incidents ranges from nonconsensual kissing of a non-sexual body part to nonconsensual sexual penetration. The majority of reports for both companies involved non-consensual touching of a sexual body part. All of these reports refer to incidents that victimized and terrified victims, who often require extensive treatment and support to move forward with their lives afterward.

Uber and Lyft categorize drivers as independent contractors, so the companies state they are not liable for drivers' actions. However, rideshare companies are responsible for providing safe transportation for their passengers and can be liable for attacks when they fail to do so. Colorado Springs assault attorneys have listed specific claims against Uber and Lyft in a recent lawsuit that include:

Uber and Lyft use a third-party screening company to conduct seven-year criminal background checks on drivers. These screenings do not provide as much information as fingerprint screenings. Although states and the FBI offer fingerprint background histories, rideshare companies have yet to take advantage of them.

The nature of ridesharing and the rapid growth of these companies have led to a lack of oversight for new drivers. Drivers transport passengers in their personal vehicles, and interactions take place in an enclosed space. The lack of consistent rideshare safety regulations puts passengers in a vulnerable environment without knowing whether their driver has received proper training.

Sexual assault victims often feel helpless and hopeless after an attack, but holding the rideshare company accountable can help you move forward and alert others to the potential danger. The first step is to contact an experienced personal injury lawyer who will protect your rights and pursue damages on your behalf. Read reviews to determine whether previous clients were satisfied with the compensation they received for their injuries and losses.

Many sexual assault cases holding Uber accountable have been consolidated into multi-district litigation (MDL) in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California. These lawsuits claim that Uber failed to implement safety standards to protect passengers, including proper background checks on drivers. Many cases have been filed in the MDL, and many more are expected over the coming months.

Taking legal action won’t make your pain go away, but it can aid significantly in attaining the compensation for the treatment and support you need to move past the attack. Our team at Carabin Shaw has spent more than two decades helping assault victims like you. We offer our services on a contingency-fee basis, so you only pay once we win your case. Call us at 800-862-1260 and talk to one of our English- or Spanish-speaking professionals today.

For more information:

• Uber
• Lyft
• Courts