[NAGDU] FW: [Njagdu] Blind Nashville man denied ride by Lyft driver despite need for emergency vet care

Thu Apr 27 13:38:38 UTC 2017

A news story about Jimmy, president of our Tennessee NAGDU.

Jimmy, I'm very sorry to read of Shep's illness, and it must have been
doubly distressing to be denied a ride when you knew your dog was seriously
ill.

Good luck.

Tracy

From: NJAGDU [mailto:njagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ginger Kutsch
via NJAGDU
Sent: Thursday, April 27, 2017 8:01 AM
To: New Jersey Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: Ginger Kutsch
Subject: [Njagdu] Blind Nashville man denied ride by Lyft driver despite
need for emergency vet care

Blind Nashville man says he was denied ride from Lyft driver

By Larry Flowers

Published: April 26, 2017, 5:13 pm  |  Updated: April 26, 2017, 6:59 pm  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) - A blind man said it has happened again. He was
refused by another ride-share service driver because of his guide dog.

This time, a Lyft driver reportedly told the man he was afraid of dogs and
took off. Last year, he experienced a similar incident with an Uber driver.

Normally when you see James Boehm, his guide dog Shep is leading the way,
but Wednesday, he was on his own.

James Boehm (Photo: WKRN)

Like clockwork, Shep nudges Boehm's hand and wakes him every morning, but
yesterday he just lay next to the bed. He wouldn't eat, even his favorite
food, pumpkin.

"I noticed him kind of panting, kind of unusual," Boehm told News 2.

He said he called Lyft to get a ride to the veterinarian, but when the
driver arrived and saw the dog, he refused to let them in.

"He said 'Sir, I can't take you. I'm afraid of dogs,'" Boehm said. "I said,
'I'm sorry, sir.' I said, 'But he's a guide dog. I'm blind. I'm disabled.
He's my service dog; he's been very well trained. He's sick.'"

The driver still refused and drove off, he added.

Boehm requested another Lyft driver and Shep was off to the animal hospital
without a minute to spare.

"They picked me up, it took about another 10 to 12 minutes, which was time
that could have gotten Shep to the hospital, to the animal clinic, quicker,"
he said. "It put his life in jeopardy because he was bleeding internally."

Shep has a golf-ball size tumor in his spleen, which was leaking. He was
immediately rushed to surgery.

"Unfortunately this type of cancer is very aggressive," Boehm said.

It turns out Shep is so sick, his owner said he doesn't have long to live.

"They are giving him six to 12 months to live," he said.

Boehm filed a claim with Lyft and contacted Metro police. He said he had to
educate police on the state law.

"I had to state to them what the Tennessee statute law is, 62-7-112, that
it's a criminal offense, not a civil offense," he explained to News 2.

Last year, former Uber driver Rolanda Douglas refused to give Boehm a ride
because of the guide dog. She ended up pleading guilty and was ordered to
perform community service.

After that experience, Boehm switched to Lyft.

"Never had any issues with Lyft before, the drivers seem to be a lot
friendlier and informed, but unfortunately at the worst possible time I had
my first incident with Lyft," he said.

Boehm is hoping Shep gets better so he can retire him as a guide dog and let
him live out his remaining life comfortable at home.

News 2 did some checking on the Lyft website. It states, "The law and Lyft's
Service Animal Policy state that drivers may not deny service or otherwise
discriminate against passengers with service animals."

News 2 reached out to the company, which stated, "Lyft takes any allegation
of this nature incredibly seriously, and we have reached out to the
passenger to refund their ride and offer our support. The law and Lyft's
Service Animal Policy state that drivers may not deny service or otherwise
discriminate against passengers with service animals. Failure to abide by
that policy can result in deactivation from the Lyft platform. The driver in
this case has been deactivated from the Lyft platform, pending further
investigation. Any form of discrimination on our platform is simply
unacceptable.

"Earlier this month, we launched a partnership with the National Federation
of the Blind and are working with them to better educate about our service
animal policy. As part of that effort, we have designated this month as
Service Animal Month."

URL:
http://wkrn.com/2017/04/26/blind-nashville-man-says-he-was-denied-ride-from-
lyft-driver/

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