*Rideshare policies and insurance rules continue to evolve. If your child was injured in an Uber or Lyft accident, updated liability laws may affect your case.
The freedom provided by a car is something most teenagers crave, and with Lyft and Uber, some don’t even need to wait for a license of their own.
Recently, some parents began noticing strange charges to their accounts after their children downloaded ridesharing apps to their smartphones.
Injured in an Uber or Lyft accident involving a minor? Speak with a Dallas rideshare accident lawyer today. Call (214) 526-5595 now for a free consultation.
In an interview with WFAA8 News, one parent in North Texas said they caught their children sneaking out late at night twice. According to her, the first driver to show up worked for Uber, and the second time, a Lyft driver picked up her children.
"I asked them then why they picked up a car full of six 14-year-olds," the mother told WFAA8 News. "It's very concerning to me that they are picking up these kids at whatever time, but especially at 2 something in the morning, that that would not alert somebody that's a grown adult. Should I be picking up these kids at 2 in the morning?"
Both companies' policies state that children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult when picked up by a driver. Still, according to one driver who worked for both Lyft and Uber over the past two years, this policy isn't clearly communicated to drivers.
"They didn't communicate to me when I signed up," the driver said. "There was nothing."
The driver said that since he learned of the rule on his own, he has denied rides to several teenagers. However, that rarely stopped the young riders from catching a ride.
"But then I'd sit and watch the next Uber driver come up and pick those kids up and take them off."
After discovering unexpected charges on her PayPal account, the mother from North Texas reached out to Lyft to ask why her children had been picked up, despite the company's policy forbidding the practice. According to her, Lyft informed her that they were not authorized to release that information.
This issue becomes even more worrying when you tie in the recent lawsuit Sarah Milburn and her attorney, Charla Aldous, filed against Uber after Milburn's driver ran a red light and was struck by another vehicle, leaving Milburn a person with quadriplegia. During the investigation into the crash, it was determined that the driver wasn't properly registered and wasn't even permitted to drive.
According to Aldous, quality control is a major issue for the company.
If an Uber or Lyft driver causes a crash while transporting a minor, liability can become complex. Learn more about your legal options on our Dallas rideshare accident lawyer page
"Uber doesn't have direct contact with the drivers," said Aldous. "They insulate themselves from the hiring process so they can say if something like Sarah's accident happens, they can say 'oh, it's not our responsibility."
Have questions about a rideshare accident in Texas? Our Dallas injury attorneys are ready to help. Contact us now for a free case review.
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