Uber Technologies Inc. has been ordered to pay $40 million to the parents of a woman who was fatally struck by a vehicle after being left on a California freeway by an Uber driver, according to an arbitration document and legal representatives.
The incident occurred on August 12, 2023, when Emily Normandin-Parker, 23, and her friend Luna Moore summoned an Uber ride to return home following an evening out in Orange County, California. During the ride, Ms. Moore became ill and vomited, prompting the driver, Vu Tran, to pull over on State Route 73 at a gore point—a triangular area where a road forks off—according to the arbitration findings.
The driver remained stopped in what the document described as an “unsafe and illegal” location. During this time, Mr. Tran reportedly engaged in a dispute with Ms. Moore over a cleaning fee. The arbitration found that the driver showed “no concern for Normandin-Parker’s whereabouts despite knowing she had exited the vehicle and was intoxicated.”
Shortly after exiting the vehicle, Ms. Normandin-Parker was struck and killed by a vehicle traveling approximately 70 miles per hour, the ruling stated. The arbitration process took place in March before Richard A. Stone, an arbitrator and retired judge based in Los Angeles.
The case raises questions about Uber’s legal responsibility for the actions of its drivers, a matter that has been at the center of multiple lawsuits concerning rideshare companies’ liability. Ms. Normandin-Parker’s parents, Carol Normandin and Ken Parker, along with Ms. Moore, accused both the driver and Uber of negligence. They argued that Uber should be classified as a common carrier, a designation that would hold the company accountable for providing transportation services to the public and responsible for the safety of its passengers.
The $40 million award was publicly disclosed on Thursday by the attorneys representing Ms. Normandin-Parker’s family. The decision highlights the ongoing legal debate surrounding accountability in the ridesharing industry. Uber has faced similar claims in the past, but the arbitration panel’s findings underscore a potential precedent regarding the company’s duty of care toward passengers.