Lyft driver who took concert
Josh Leal remembers the aftermath of the shooting in fragments.
A promoter who also drives for Lyft, Leal works nights most of the time, so he was up and showered and on his way downtown on Oct. 1, when he said he noticed police pointing cars away from the areas where he often picks up passengers. Soon he and the rest of the world learned that a shooter had opened fire on a country music festival on the strip, killing 59 people and injuring hundreds more in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
But in the light of tragedy, Leal, was one of several drivers who jumped in and helped people in the Las Vegas crisis, at a time where ride-hailing services are often met with criticism rather than praise in similar events.
SEE ALSO:A troll explains why he tweeted a fake 'missing dad' picture from the Las Vegas shootingNow, the night over, the scene comes back in pieces. He remembers "guys with blood on their necks." He remembers the person who dropped her phone and had no way to get in touch with friends and family. He talked about the people who refused his offer to drive them away from the Las Vegas strip, still searching the chaos for familiar faces. He remembers the daughter who got into his car wondering where her mom and brother could be, then finding them as she stepped out at the designated drop-off point.
Officers first asked drivers volunteering their cars to stay out of the way, but Leal says they must have soon realized they could use help getting people out of the area, and soon waved drivers through as crowds of concertgoers and others streamed away.
He remembers "guys with blood on their necks." He remembers the person who dropped her phone and had no way to get in touch with friends and family.
"Just a lot of shock man," Leal said. "I was just more focused on not killing somebody crossing the street, because you'd be driving and all of a sudden someone would come darting across."
That's how Leal spent the night. He and other drivers rode between the strip and drop-off points, trying to figure out where best to help. Chris Bash, a Lyft driver who spoke with NPR, said he drove down to the strip and tried to get as many people as he could to hop in the bed of his truck.
"As I pull in, there's people screaming," he told NPR. "People are scared. People are crying, running."
An Uber driver identified as Brett, driving amid the casinos as people began to sprint away from the concert, told a local Fox affiliate he almost "hit 15-20 people" in the chaos before he eventually got on the phone with Uber officials and started arranging free rides for people caught in the insanity.
Some have lambasted Uber in the past for surging ride prices after various attacks, and both Uber and Lyft were criticized for high ride prices around John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City following a protest of a travel ban instituted by President Donald Trump back in January.
This time, though, Uber waived all ride fees in the area. Lyft suspended prime time surge prices, and later offered free rides up to $40 to hospitals and blood donation centers if passengers used the code "VEGASHOPE."
As the sun rose in Las Vegas on Monday and the clock ticked toward noon, Leal talked about getting some rest. But for the time being he was with his friend, Rex, both of them about to donate blood for victims.
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