Uber ordered to pay compensation of Rs 380 crore, woman died after being abandoned on the highway

Uber has been ordered to pay compensation of $40 million (Rs 380 crore) to the family of a 23-year-old woman.

The woman died on a highway in California. It is alleged that the Uber driver stopped the car and asked him to get out of the car.

According to court documents, Emily Normandin-Parker booked an Uber to go home with a friend on August 12, 2023. On the way, her friend fell ill and vomited in the car.

Emily's parents told that the driver stopped the car on the side of the highway. He alleged that the driver forcibly threw both the women out of the car. After this, another car hit Emily on the same highway, due to which she died.

Uber had argued that the driver was not an employee of the company, but an independent contractor. Therefore the company was not responsible for his work.

Emily's parents said in a statement, "Emily followed all of the instructions given to passengers by Uber. She made the responsible decision not to drive and booked a vehicle. We had confidence that Uber would get her home safely. Our daughter had to pay the price of this trust with her life."

Emily was a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles.

According to Panish, Shea, Ravipudi, the law firm fighting the case on behalf of the family, Judge Richard Stone ordered Uber to compensate Emily's parents after a five-day mediation.

Mediation is a way to resolve a dispute outside of court. In this the help of a qualified mediator is taken. The arbitrator in this case was a retired judge.

The family's lawyers said driver Vu Tran did not seek help for the women after dropping them off on the highway. Instead, he pulled over and called Uber and demanded Emily be charged for the cleaning.

"Tran cared more about his new car than his passengers," Judge Stone said. He said Tran could have exited the highway and dropped the women at a safe place.

Uber said it believes the arbitrator made a mistake by holding the company legally responsible for the incident.

"We have continually improved our safety practices through new technology, policies and safety measures based on input from safety experts, including providing drivers with additional information about how to avoid dropping off passengers at unsafe locations," the company said in a statement.

The law firm fighting the case on behalf of the family said that Uber had initially proposed a settlement of 10 million dollars (Rs 95 crore). Under this, Emily's parents would be given money, but they would have to agree to the condition of not talking about this incident. The family rejected this proposal.