I have previously written about young women that have been sexually assualted and raped by Uber and Lyft drivers. However, Uber and Lyft drivers are not the only drivers to be concerned with, Taxi Cab drivers can take advantage of a vulnerable person resulting in rape, robbery, and assault.
This is not a new thing. In law school my wife clerked at the San Francisco District Attorney's office. She worked on a terrible case where a San Francisco cab driver picked up a young intoxicated woman from a nice area of town. The driver then drove the woman to a secluded area and brutally raped her. He then put her in the trunk of the taxi cab and dumped her body in seedy area of town. I remember that case, because I had never thought how vulnerable an individual can be when we accept rides from strangers. Sure the drivers may be "professionals" and may have passed a background check, but that won't weed out all of the bad apples.
Recently here in Portland Oregon another young college student was sexually assaulted by a taxi driver. The story is similar to the case in San Francisco. The young intoxicated woman was trying to get home. The cab driver saw her and offered to take her home. The cab driver then claimed his GPS wasn't working, so he asked her to get in the front seat so she could provide him directions to her home. She complied with the driver's wishes, and the cab driver began to drive around for a very long time. Then he sexually assaulted her. The young woman will be emotially scarred for life and the driver only ended up getting 10 years in prison. (Oregonian Story)
Portland is a friendly city, so sometimes we have a false sense of security. However it is important to remember you need to be cautious when using taxi cabs and ride share programs. Do not get in the front seat with the driver if you are alone. Always have a cell phone with you and text someone when you get in the vehicle and let them know when you expect to arrive home. Remain vigilant, and remember the cab company or rideshare company may have been negligent when they hired this person.
If you have had the horrible experience of being sexually assaulted in a taxi cab, uber car, or lyft car please call Jeremiah Ross at Ross Law LLC to discuss your victim's rights and options. Jeremiah is always willing to discuss your rights as a victim and who may be accountable. The driver's employers may be culpable, so it is important to discuss your case with an attorney to hold everyone accountable and prevent sexual assaults from occuring in the future. Please call Portland Victim's Rights attorney Jeremiah Ross at 503.224.1658.