Detroit Lyft driver accused of drunk driving, leading to violent crash
Ride Share driver accused in drunk driving crash
FOX 2 spoke with those passengers, two 20-year-old women who are hurt and upset but know they are lucky to be alive. They say the car they were in crashed into a parked SUV and then flipped several times early Sunday morning.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Two ride-share passengers thought they were making a wise decision by not driving themselves after drinking. Now they are recovering from injuries after a crash, accusing the driver they hired of drinking with them.
FOX 2 spoke with those passengers, two 20-year-old women who are hurt and upset but know they are lucky to be alive. They say the car they were in crashed into a parked SUV and then flipped several times early Sunday morning.
Big picture view:
Simone Kent lives in the home outside where the crash occurred on Linwood near Grand River.
"There is liquor involved. There are bottles here and there," said Kent. "I just see the black Lincoln, it was coming to a stop because it hit down. And my neighbor's truck was facing the wrong way."
The two 20-year-olds admit they were drinking, but say they called for a Lyft, showing FOX 2 the ride order, the driver, and the route on her phone. They say he arrived quickly, and they were surprised by what happened next.
"We already had our own liquor and stuff like that, so we just got in the car ready to go home," said Dariana. "He saw that we had our liquor, so he pulled out his from the door and said, 'Do you want a shot?'"
Then the next thing they knew, they were in a crash.
"I just know we flipped twice, and I got out and called the police," said Latasha.
Neighbors went outside and began recording the aftermath, including the alleged driver looking for a bottle of liquor.
The other side:
A spokesperson for Lyft says the alleged victims did not contact the ride-share company concerning the incident prior to the FOX 2 report.
Lyft has since reached out to them and provided a statement.
"The alleged behavior described has no place on our platform. We are investigating the reported incident and have reached out to the rider to offer support. We stand ready to assist law enforcement with any investigation."
On Wednesday a Detroit police spokesperson said that the alleged Lyft driver was taken into custody at the scene and charges are pending the result of a blood toxicology test.
What's next:
The two 20-year-old passengers say they filed a police report, reported the incident to Lyft, and are looking for attorneys.