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Uber ordered to pay $40M to parents of woman fatally struck after being left on OC freeway
ABC7 Los Angeles • • business
Key Points:
- Emily Normandin-Parker, a 23-year-old UCLA graduate, was struck and killed on an Orange County freeway after her Uber driver, Vu Tran, left her and a friend at an unsafe location following an argument over a cleaning fee.
- An arbitration awarded $40 million to Normandin-Parker's parents, Carol Normandin and Ken Parker, holding Uber and the driver jointly liable for her death, with the arbitrator finding Uber vicariously liable and rejecting its claim as merely a technology company.
- The arbitrator criticized Tran's actions, noting he prioritized his car over passenger safety, chose an illegal stop location, and had prior complaints about unsafe driving, while Uber was found to have ignored these issues.
- Uber expressed condolences but disagreed with the ruling, emphasizing ongoing safety improvements and disputing liability, while also attempting to keep the arbitration award confidential, which the family opposed.
- Normandin-Parker's parents have established the Emily Normandin-Parker Foundation to promote ride-hailing safety and corporate accountability, funded by the arbitration award.
