Manchester Crash Led to Lyft Driver's Arrest

A head-on collision between a Mazda 6 car driven by Lyft driver, 33-year-old Rafael Battle, and an oncoming Chevrolet work van was caused by the overtired and possibly drug abusing Lyft driver. According to police reports, Battle was driving his car for Lyft and had an adult female passenger with a 3-year-old child improperly secured in the back seat of the car.

Battle stated that the sun had temporarily blinded him, causing him to swerve the car across the yellow painted separating line and hit the oncoming Chevrolet head-on. While no one was seriously injured, both cars suffered serious damage and the police claim that Battle “had difficulty knowing where he came from, where he was going and how many occupants were in his vehicle,” they also claim that Battle confessed to not sleeping for 72 hours and previously using heroin and cocaine. It was not yet determined if he was under the influence of drugs at the time of the accident.

You know that while drivers can cancel rides, passengers should also consider their actions before stepping into any vehicle driven by a total stranger (including taxi’s and buses).