Charleston, South Carolina.Due to a disagreement over his service dog, a man from Charleston is suing Uber and one of its drivers for a traumatic event that he claims left him with brain damage, memory loss, and ongoing neurological issues.
Man Says Uber Driver Assaulted Him After Refusing Ride
King Street in downtown Charleston was the scene of the altercation on April 24 in full daylight. Bryan Kobel, the victim, claims that after his Uber driver, Vadim Uliumdzhiev, declined to take Kobel’s service dog, he was brutally attacked.
Kobel asked for a trip after supper and got into the car with his dog. Kobel claims that after the driver protested, he got out of the vehicle and gently requested that the trip be canceled. Video footage showed Kobel being pummeled and headbutted before being rendered unconscious in the parking lot.
As I was heading out to cancel the ride, I reminded him. “That’s really the last of my memory,” Kobel claimed, explaining that his injuries had left him completely unconscious for the following 48 hours. It was quite a scary scenario.
Lawsuit Alleges Uber Failed to Catch Red Flags
Uber and the driver are accused of egregious negligence in the now-filed complaint. Uliumdzhiev was allegedly operating with a fraudulent driver’s license and was unlawfully in the United States from Russia, according to law enforcement officials quoted in the lawsuit.
Kenneth Berger, Kobel’s lawyer, criticized Uber for not adequately screening its drivers:
How could a multinational company with billions of dollars and assets not take the effort to find this out if it just took our office, a law office, ten minutes or less?
Victim Says Uber Deactivated His Account After the Incident
Kobel claims that even though he was the victim, his Uber account had been terminated when he left the hospital. That, in his opinion, indicates a more serious issue with rideshare safety regulations.
It is hoped that this event will result in some kind of transformation. Kobel said, “I don’t want anyone else to wake up the way I did.” You have virtually little recall over a 48-hour period, and people are phoning to check on you.
He has had cognitive problems that have interfered with his everyday life and made recuperation challenging, including forgetting words and losing his train of thought in the middle of sentences.
Driver Charged, Uber Issues Statement
Uliumdzhiev will make a second court appearance in October after being charged with second-degree assault and battery.
Uber issued a succinct public statement in response:
Violence has no place on the Uber platform. Uber is steadfastly dedicated to safety and conforms with all relevant federal, state, and local rules and regulations regarding worker eligibility, even if we are unable to comment on ongoing legal proceedings.
Local advocacy organizations advise you to notify law enforcement right away and seek civil remedies if you or someone you know has been the victim of abuse or discrimination while using a ridesharing platform and you or they depend on service animals.
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