A Lyft driver who says a passenger attacked him in Texas by choking him with his own seatbelt as he was driving him to his destination has filed a lawsuit against Lyft and the hospital where he picked up the passenger. Driver Kehinde Ayoola said staff at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston requested the ride and helped the passenger to the vehicle in February of this year. 'He pulled my seatbelt and wrapped it around my neck, choking me. He was trying to kill me,' Ayoola told Fox 26.
Ayoola explained the impact the violent attack has had on him since the incident, noting that he is now fearful of falling victim to another attack. 'Just like we're sitting here, if someone tries to pass behind me, I'm always, so scared, you know. I see it always. Every day,' he said, adding that replays in his over and over again. He said he has not picked up passengers since the incident because of his fears. He had been a rideshare driver for seven years.
When I picked up that passenger in February, I talked to the staff, the Memorial Hermann staff,' he recalled. 'I said 'Hey what's going on? Is this guy OK?' They told me, they said, 'Oh yes, it's okay.' I even asked the security guard, and he said, 'yes, it's okay.'' Shortly after Vella entered his car, he started talking to himself before beating his chest and, at one point, slid over in the backseat to the seat behind Ayoola.
Ayoola is 'an innocent, hardworking man that was simply trying to complete a Lyft journey that was ordered, supervised, and called for by Memorial Hermann Hospital, and he ended up being attacked,' Ayoola's Attorney, Osayuki Ogbeidet, told Fox 26. 'He expressed his concerns to Memorial Hermann staff, and they reassured him that Ramiro Vella would be OK,' Ogbeide added. Ogbeide said Ayoola has experienced 'very special damages.