Video Shows Rideshare Driver Kicking Out Passenger On Side Of Busy Highway

Photo: Getty Images

A viral video posted to TikTok shows the moment a man was abandoned on the side of a busy highway after his enraged rideshare driver seemingly kicked him out of the car.

When Aaron Swetland requested a ride home from the Nashville International Airport from a Lyft driver, he was a bit thrown by the unique features of the car, which included burning incense and crime scene tape. It was the ride itself, however, that proved to be the problem and he posted a video to share his nightmare experience, per News Channel 5.

All windows of the car were rolled down as they drove along the interstate, but the pressure was too much for his ears. When he tried to roll up his rear window, Swetland discovered that it was locked, a move the former rideshare driver said was "odd."

When the driver said it a Lyft COVID rule to keep the windows rolled down — which the company recommends to do "when possible" — Swetland asked her to slow down in the hopes that it would be a "more pleasant" ride for hime. According to Swetland, that's when the driver began yelling. At one point she tries to knock his phone, now recording the scene, out of his hands.

Check out the video below. *Warning: Video contains strong language.*

"When she tried to grab for my phone and throw it out of the vehicle that was a scary moment because I'm like – had she succeeded, I lost my only way to communicate," he said.

The driver eventually pulled over on the side of a busy interstate and screamed for Swetland to get out of the car, throwing his bag out of the trunk. Still recording, Swetland watched as she drove off, leaving him stranded.

Lyft released the following statement after the video went viral:

Safety is fundamental to Lyft, and the incident shown in the video is concerning. We have reached out to the rider to offer our support and have suspended the driver's account pending a complete investigation."

Swetland hopes his experience can serve as a reminder for other riders to be cautious.

"This really can happen to anybody and you really kind of have to be cautious of your surroundings and just be aware. In this particular instance, for me, it was a change in tone, in attitude. She was very aggressive for no reason at all," he said. "Just be safe and watch out for yourself – nobody else is doing it so you gotta do it for yourself."


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