A woman who jumped out of her Lyft ride and broke her ankle because she feared she was being kidnapped on Thursday night in San Francisco actually had a deaf driver who didn’t know she was talking to him, police said today.
San Francisco police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza said that officers contacted the hearing-impaired driver and determined that the incident was merely an unfortunate misunderstanding.
Esparza said the woman requested a rideshare via the transportation network company’s app from the Diamond Heights neighborhood to the Sunset District around 11:20 p.m.
She got into a silver Nissan Quest and the driver, a man in his 40s, apparently made a turn that the passenger thought was the wrong direction. The passenger tried to inquire but the driver didn’t hear her, Esparza said.
The passenger apparently became uneasy and decided to jump from the car in the 300 block of Corbett Avenue, in the Corona Heights neighborhood, Esparza said.
The woman suffered a broken ankle as she tried to run away, Esparza said.
Passengers should note that ridesharing companies regularly hire deaf or hearing-impaired drivers.
Hannah Albarazi, Bay City News
