Should Uber Be Held Responsible for This Hit-and-Run Injury?
When you hitch a ride with a rideshare company, you expect a certain level of safety on that ride. This is especially true if you have had a few drinks and driving yourself is out of the question. So, what would you do if that promise of safety was breached? A woman and her brother found out in a startling way.
Is Uber Liable for a Hit-and-Run Injury?
One night in Santa Barbara, a woman and her brother were out enjoying drinks. When it came time for the fun to end, the hailed an Uber through the app and began their journey home. However, things went wrong when they got on the freeway.
The Uber driver pulled over and demanded that the siblings get out of the vehicle. According to the siblings, the driver did so “without legal justification or good cause.” To make the situation worse, the driver allegedly forced them out of the car on the median of the busy freeway.
After the Uber ride left, the siblings were forced to cross the busy freeway to reach the shoulder, and safety. While crossing, the sister was struck by a driver who did not stop, and she sustained catastrophic injuries. The two have now filed a lawsuit against Uber claiming that the company was negligent and that it falsely claims to be a safe ride home after a night of drinking.
Uber is claiming that it is not responsible for its driver’s actions since the driver was a contractor. It also has asked the judge to dismiss the case, considering it was filed in San Francisco and not Santa Barbara. When it comes to cases like this, it can be a challenge to prove a rideshare company’s responsibility for injuries. But more and more cases are showing up every day.
Right now, Uber is fighting a lawsuit over the death of a woman that was hit by an Uber autonomous car. The company is also facing several other lawsuits regarding the safety of its drivers and their employee status. This means that having experienced legal counsel is a must for any Uber rider who finds themselves injured in an Uber-related incident.
