Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump announced he and another lawyer will file a lawsuit against the popular rideshare company, Lyft, after two incidents involving riders from the Triangle area.
Crump said he and attorney Kevin O'Brien are representing two families whose lives were negatively affected or lost due to the negligence of Lyft drivers.
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Crump is part of a $50 million civil lawsuit for Diamond Cannady, the woman who was victimized in a sexual assault by a driver. Another lawsuit stems from a crash in Detroit that killed a Durham couple.
A Cary Lyft driver, Ryan James Davey, was accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman earlier this year. Davey was pantsless when he was arrested. He faces charges including felony kidnapping, sexual battery, indecent exposure, driving while impaired, and resisting a public officer. Davey had a DWI charge in 2015, according to attorneys.
"It took something from me I just can't get back ever," Cannady said. "I just want to let everybody know and to be aware that when you're using these ride shares, you can't trust them. You can't trust them with your kids. You can't trust them with yourself. Because here we are, we're still months down the line, and I'm still trying to get back to who I was before this happened."
The attorneys will also represent the family of a Durham couple who were killed in February while riding in a Lyft vehicle in Detroit. Police said Andre and Carla Boynton were in the vehicle when their driver, Theopris Mays, was driving more than 90 mph on residential streets and crashed into a warehouse loading dock.
Police said Mays ran after the crash. The Boynton's died and left behind five children, and were awaiting the birth of their first grandchild. Mays faces two counts of second-degree murder, reckless driving - causing death, and leaving the scene of an at-fault accident causing death.
Crump spoke at The River Church in Durham on Tuesday in front of photos and tributes to the couple.
"This ride share just don’t care," Crump said.
Crump released the following statement:
Rideshare companies like Lyft are not bystanders when something like this happens. Lyft has a responsibility for the drivers they employ and the safety of their millions of customers.
A Lyft spokesperson also released a statement on the matter.
“Our goal is for everyone to feel safe and respected on the Lyft platform, and there is no place in our community for acts of violence, dangerous behavior, or inappropriate actions behind the wheel. Lyft continues its work to promote safety for the millions of people who use Lyft every day.”