A crash on Mother's Day

Osahon Aburime, a North Carolina Lyft driver, was in a car accident on Mother's Day last year while on his way to pick up a passenger. He had earned about eighty dollars that day.

“All of a sudden, I just saw this car in front of me, so I stepped on my brakes. We just ran into each other.”

Sixteen months later, he uses a cane

Aburime now uses a cane to walk. He tried to return to work as a Lyft driver but found he could not continue. He said he could not even bend down to do the job.

“Let me see if I can continue to drive to make money for my family. But it just got to a point now I can't even bend down.”

His income collapsed after the crash

Before the accident, Aburime typically made around one thousand seven hundred dollars a month on Lyft. Since the crash, he has not been able to earn money. He lost the Chevy Malibu he was driving.

He lost his minivan to repossession

Without income from Lyft, Aburime fell behind on payments toward his minivan. His lender repossessed the vehicle earlier this year, according to a notice seen by Business Insider.

Insurance denied his claim with wrong details

Aburime has been fighting to get a payout from Mobilitas, which provides ride-hailing insurance to Lyft. A day after the accident, Mobilitas denied his claim. The denial contained incorrect information about the accident, including the wrong time.

Gig workers lack traditional employee protections

Aburime's case shows how gig workers like those at Lyft and Uber often have fewer protections than traditional full-time employees. He says he cannot afford a lawyer and the North Carolina Department of Insurance told him to find one.

“These rideshare companies tell you that you are covered if something like this happens.”