A Detroit woman who was a passenger in a high-speed collision while riding in a Lyft is suing both Lyft and Uber ride services for potentially millions of dollars, alleging that her driver was distracted by pickup notifications, causing him to crash.

Sheila Hawkins, 54, was using Lyft on Oct. 17, 2017, for a ride to a chiropractic appointment when the crashed occurred. The Lyft driver, a 34-year-old Detroit man, was logged into the Lyft and Uber smartphone apps during the trip, according to the lawsuit filed this month in Wayne County Circuit Court.

Their car was eastbound on I-696 in Warren when the driver allegedly became distracted by either one or both of the ride service apps, which send notifications to drivers about incoming pickup requests.

The distracted driver, the lawsuit says, then slammed into the rear of a tractor-trailer stopped on the highway. His car was traveling about 70 mph when the collision occurred, the lawsuit claims.

The car was totaled and Hawkins and the driver were rushed to McLaren Macomb hospital with critical injuries.

Hawkins suffered traumatic brain injuries as well as spinal injuries that have left her unable to work, according to her attorney, Jim Rasor of the Rasor Law Firm in Royal Oak.

“She is adjusting to a completely new paradigm ... she will never be the same," Rasor said. “She is on a mission to help other people avoid this."

Hawkins also needs in-home assistance and attendant care, which is currently paid by the driver's no-fault auto insurance carrier, Allstate.

Michigan's no-fault system allows motorists and passengers to sue negligent drivers in cases of serious bodily impairment or death. Negligence lawsuits aren't permitted for more minor injuries.

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Hawkins' lawsuit is going after Lyft and Uber because the ride services should have known that it is distracting to send notifications to drivers who are traveling at high speeds. Lyft and Uber drivers interact with their smartphones to accept pickup requests.

It is common in metro Detroit for drivers to drive for both Lyft and Uber and keep each service's app running on a separate smartphone — typically mounted over the front seats.

Rasor said the ride services need to stop these dangerous distractions.

"Uber and Lyft are sending messages to drivers they know are driving at high rates of speed," he said. "There is no reason that that app couldn’t be modified so that they’re not getting those messages until they stop, and we think that would be much safer.”

Representatives for Lyft and Uber did not return messages seeking comment Thursday.

Rasor said the lawsuit — at a minimum — is going after Lyft's $1-million third-party liability insurance policy covering its drivers. A similar but smaller policy covers Uber drivers in pickup mode that could also apply here, he said.

However, Lyft and Uber could potentially be on the hook for millions of dollars more in this case, which highlights how inherently dangerous their pickup system is, Rasor said.

"Uber and Lyft are doing business in a way that puts us all at risk," he said.

Uber and Lyft have been sued several times before in Wayne County Circuit Court after auto accidents, although the distracted-driving claims in Hawkins' case appear to be a first.

Contact JC Reindl: 313-222-6631 or jcreindl@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JCReindl