ATLANTA — Two years after a man was allegedly shot by his Lyft driver in DeKalb County, he's filing a lawsuit against the rideshare company and demanding the driver be held accountable.
Emmanuel Hollins said he ordered a Lyft on the way to work Dec. 28, 2020. That day ended with him in the hospital and a bullet lodged in the back of his head.
According to the suit filed in federal court in Atlanta, Hollins and his driver got into a "verbal dispute" over whether he could change his drop-off location. When he did arrive, he got out of the car and "heard a loud popping noise," according to the suit, then "felt a sharp stinging pain in his neck as blood began to pour."
He realized he had been shot.
Paramedics arrived and were able to get to a hospital, where doctors performed life-saving procedures. The bullet had lodged in his forehead and he suffered injuries including a right brain bleed and orbital rim fracture, requiring surgeries. He eventually lost sight in his right eye.
According to Hollins, the argument arose because the driver didn't think she would be paid. He recalls that she told him, "You won't see 2021" during their dispute.
"I got out and walked up the hill, didn’t look back at her and the next thing I heard was a loud ringing in my head," Hollins said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Michael Jones, his attorney, said Hollins "wants Lyft to take responsibility."
They're claiming the driver had several red flags - among them a previous alleged assault with a knife - and shouldn't have been driving for the rideshare company.
The driver was arrested the same day of the shooting and charged with aggravated assault, but the attorneys said that the case still hasn't been prosecuted.
For Hollins, the day was life-changing.
"There’s been more days these last two years that I just haven’t wanted to be here than my whole life. I’m 31 years old this year and these last two years have been hell, completely," he said. "Now I’m at the point of finding somewhere else to move, thinking about selling my dogs.”
He said he still has $64,000 in medical bills stemming from the incident.
11Alive learned Wednesday that the driver is no longer on the Lyft platform.
"They have basically turned a cold shoulder and saying that they’re not responsible at all," Hollins said of the company. "We just think there should’ve been a better screening in catching a red flag."
The rideshare company does conduct background checks and screenings for its drivers. Read more about the process on Lyft's website.