Rideshare driver sues Lyft, Memorial Hermann after violent attack
HOUSTON - A rideshare driver who says he was violently attacked by a passenger on Valentine's Day has now filed a lawsuit. He's suing Lyft and Memorial Hermann Hospital where he picked the passenger up.
According to the driver, hospital staff ordered the ride and helped the now-arrested passenger get to his car.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Lyft driver says passenger choked him with his own seatbelt, recounts incident
When we first spoke with Lyft driver Kehinde Ayoola in February 2024, he told us a horrific and violent story of surviving a brutal attack.
"He pulled my seatbelt and wrapped it around my neck, choking me. He was trying to kill me," Ayoola explained.
So what have the last few months been like for him?
"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. (You see it replaying over and over again?) Yes," Ayoola says.
"He's 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," adds Ayoola's Attorney, Osayuki Ogbeide.
"When I picked up that passenger in February, I talked to the staff, the Memorial Hermann staff. I said 'Hey what's going on? Is this guy OK?' They told me, they said, 'Oh yes, it's ok.' I even asked the security guard, and he said, 'yes, it's OK. (And you asked if he was OK because of the way he was acting and moving around a lot?) Yes, because the way he was behaving," Ayoola says.
"He expressed his concerns to Memorial Hermann staff, and they reassured him that Ramiro Vella would be OK," Ogbeide adds.
Ramiro Vella was arrested that day after the odd ordeal. Ayoola says before jumping out of his car, Vella, "Had been talking to himself. Then he started beating his chest."
Ayoola says he hasn't been able to pick up passengers since then. "Because I'm always scared. Even if my grandson is sitting behind me in the car, I'm scared."
Before that, he had been a rideshare driver for seven years.
"He's experienced very special damages. Not just loss of wages, not just medical bills, but his whole life turned upside down," says Ogbeide.
A spokesperson for Memorial Hermann says the hospital "is unable to comment on pending litigation."
In an automated reply, Lyft said someone would get back with me, but as of airtime that hasn't happened.
As for Vella, Ayoola's passenger, who's charged with aggravated assault, his next court date is at the end of this month, on September 25.