Passengers who ride with Uber or Lyft think that the companies are taking measures to keep them safe. However, there are too many reports of drivers assaulting passengers and the victims later find out the driver is still working for the rideshare company. Three women in Florida were taking a Lyft ride to the beach and eventually ended up dumped in a parking lot nowhere near their destination.

Ride to the Beach Takes a Detour

On May 31, Mackenzie Thornton and two friends ordered a Lyft to take them to the beach. Marcus Vasco was their Lyft driver and showed up with a dog in the front seat. Thornton and her friends got it. She says she first became concerned when Vasco took a wrong turn. 

According to Thornton, she is familiar with the Panama City Beach area and noticed the time of arrival on the Lyft app was getting longer and longer. When Vasco took the Hathaway Bridge in the wrong direction, Thornton spoke up. 

According to a news report from WMBB of Bay County, Florida, Thornton questions Vasco who claimed he was just following the Lyft map. However, Thornton noticed the map was Google Maps instead of Lyft. Thornton said the driver then started driving erratically. They told him to pull over and the driver refused. That's when Thornton called 9-1-1.

After calling 911, Thornton said that's when Vasco pulled over. She said he started screaming at her, opened the trunk, and threw their stuff on the ground. When Thornton said she was reading out his license plate to the police, the driver backed into her, stopped, got out and yelled at her again. 

Thornton said the driver then chest bumped her and spit in her face. The dog charged Thornton before Vasco grabbed the dog, she said, and he left before police arrived. 

Not a First-Time Complaint

Thornton posted her experience on Facebook, including showing Vasco's Lyft profile. Two other women then said they'd had questionable rides with Vasco in the past. According to both women, the driver had his dog along in the car. 

One woman said she was afraid to give him a negative review out of fear he would return to her home. 

Another woman says she and her daughter were picked up by Vasco and his dog on March 20 after she requested an Uber ride. The woman claimed Vasco was jittery, hyper, and kept repeating himself. She said he began speeding and driving carelessly, so she asked him to stop. Instead, she claims he got mad and said he can do whatever he wanted because it was his car.

After the ride, the other woman said she sent a review to Uber but it never got posted. She had to follow up with Uber and was told he was suspended but still a registered driver. 

Lyft Driver Criminal Charges for Assault

According to the article, Vasco was charged with battery without a weapon and is awaiting a court appearance. 

After an Assault by a Lyft Driver

If you or a loved one has been assaulted or injured after a Lyft ride in the greater Denver metropolitan area, please do not hesitate to contact accidentdenver.com today at 303-642-8888 for a free consultation. We are here waiting for you.