Lawsuit Filed Against Uber Eats Targets Company Structure
A very important lawsuit following the death of a University of Florida pedestrian has been filed against Uber Eats. The lawsuit specifically states that Uber Eats’ company structure is to blame for the death of Sophia Lambert, a UF freshman who was struck by an Uber Eats driver.
Onlookers watched in horror as the Uber Eats drive collided with another vehicle on the road as he attempted to run a red light. The vehicle then careened into a crowd of teenagers. Lambert was struck and killed in front of several witnesses. Her parents have filed a lawsuit against Uber Eats, the University of Florida, and the Uber Eats driver. Below, we’ll take a look at the potential effects of the lawsuit.
Allegations Against Uber Eats
Attorneys for the Lambert family say that accidents such as the one mentioned above are an inevitable result of Uber’s internal policies and company structure. Since drivers get paid by the delivery, they have an incentive to drive as fast as they can to get deliver food. On the other hand, they have no incentive to drive safely since this cuts into their profit margins. Making more deliveries in a day means making more money in day.
If the lawsuit is successful, we could see a major change in the corporate structure of ridesharing services like Uber, Lyft, and more. Essentially, they are arguing that drivers who work for the company would be better classified as employees so that they were working on the clock as opposed to by the job. Uber, of course, would hate that. However, it’s hard to argue that Uber’s contractor-based service model doesn’t incentivize unsafe driving.
In the case mentioned above, the Uber Eats’ driver was attempting to beat a red light when he struck another car and careened into a crowd of students. Had he been an employee making hourly, there would have been no incentive for him to attempt to beat the red light.
Allegations Against the University
The University is being targeted because the same stretch of road was involved in a second fatal accident only a week earlier. In this case, a pedestrian was killed by a BMW that fled the scene. Charges are likely to be filed against the driver who left the scene of an accident with a death, failed to render aid, and then tried to hide their car.
However, Universities, even private universities, often are like small towns. In other words, they provide state functions, may have private security, settle disputes, and more. In these cases, they are also required to ensure the maintenance of roads or at least identify problem areas. As an example, multiple deaths in a single location would give the state pause to fix the issue. In this case, multiple deaths have resulted in no change at all.
Talk to a Miami Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
If you’re struck by a vehicle, you may be able to file a lawsuit against other negligent parties, not just the driver. Call the Miami pedestrian accident lawyers at Payer & Associates today to schedule a free consultation and learn more about how we can help.
Resource:
wcjb.com/2021/03/02/parents-of-university-of-florida-students-sue-after-daughters-killed-in-car-crashes/
