Uber has been mandated to pay $40 million to the family of a 23-year-old woman who was fatally struck on a California highway after a company driver allegedly made her exit the vehicle. According to reports, the incident involved Emily Normandin-Parker, who had ordered an Uber ride to return home with a friend on August 12, 2023. The ride took a tragic turn when her friend became ill in the car.
The young woman’s parents assert that the driver stopped on the roadside and forced both women, who were intoxicated, to exit the vehicle. Tragically, Normandin-Parker was later hit by another vehicle.
Uber contended that the driver was an independent contractor and that the company was not liable for his actions. Normandin-Parker’s parents expressed their deep disappointment, stating, “Emily made the responsible choice not to drive and trusted Uber to get her home safely.” They added, “This trust cost our daughter her life.”
Judge Richard Stone ordered Uber to compensate Normandin-Parker’s parents following a five-day arbitration process, according to the law firm Panish, Shea, Ravipudi, which represented the family. Arbitration serves as an alternative dispute resolution method outside of court, involving a qualified arbitrator, in this case, a retired judge.
Family attorneys indicated that after leaving the women on the highway, driver Vu Tran did not seek help for them. Instead, he pulled over to contact Uber and request a cleaning fee from Normandin-Parker for the mess in his car, the lawyers claimed. Judge Stone remarked that Tran exhibited “much more concern for his new car than for his passengers,” noting that he could have exited the highway and left the women in a safer location.
Uber stated that it believes the arbitrator erred in holding the company legally responsible for the incident. The company has emphasized its ongoing commitment to safety through new technologies, policies, and protective measures developed with expert contributions, including additional recommendations for drivers to avoid leaving passengers in unsafe locations.
Initially, the law firm representing the family reported that Uber had proposed a settlement of $10 million, contingent on the parents not discussing the incident, which they declined.
