Remember that incident in March, when a car crash at Hayes and Divisadero knocked over a fire hydrant and sent water gushing into the air?
Well, here's an update.
At the time, SFist reported that "a female bystander appeared to have been injured in the incident, but was able to walk off after some assistance from emergency technicians." Apparently her injuries were more serious than that -- and Uber may have to pay up. The Bay Guardian reported this week that the incident involved an Uber town car colliding with another car at the intersection, after which one of the cars hit the fire hydrant. The hydrant flew 81 feet and struck the bystander, Claire Fahrbach. Fahrbach was "severely" injured, suffering "lacerations to her body, a fracture in her lower leg, and multiple herniated discs" that will probably require surgery, according to a lawsuit she has filed against both Uber and its driver. Her lawyer told the Bay Guardian that the cost of the accident will be "enormous." However, it's unclear who will be held responsible. Uber contends that it doesn't "employ" any of its drivers. Instead, they work for licensed and insured limo companies, and Uber is just the means by which they are connected with customers. But the particular driver in this case, Djamol Gafurov, isn't employed by a limo company. Rather, he is self-employed, and was driving with liability insurance, but not the excessive insurance that would be needed to cover a situation like this. As such, Fahrbach's lawyer is hoping that Uber, which does have excessive liability insurance, will step up and cover Fahrbach's medical costs, even though the company has a policy of not accepting responsibility for any such accidents. As for Fahrbach, she told the Guardian she lost two jobs after the accident, and had to move back in with her family in North Carolina. She can't afford the medical bills herself, and says if the lawsuit's unsuccessful, her "financial future will be dismal." We'll keep an eye on this one.
At the time, SFist reported that "a female bystander appeared to have been injured in the incident, but was able to walk off after some assistance from emergency technicians." Apparently her injuries were more serious than that -- and Uber may have to pay up. The Bay Guardian reported this week that the incident involved an Uber town car colliding with another car at the intersection, after which one of the cars hit the fire hydrant. The hydrant flew 81 feet and struck the bystander, Claire Fahrbach. Fahrbach was "severely" injured, suffering "lacerations to her body, a fracture in her lower leg, and multiple herniated discs" that will probably require surgery, according to a lawsuit she has filed against both Uber and its driver. Her lawyer told the Bay Guardian that the cost of the accident will be "enormous." However, it's unclear who will be held responsible. Uber contends that it doesn't "employ" any of its drivers. Instead, they work for licensed and insured limo companies, and Uber is just the means by which they are connected with customers. But the particular driver in this case, Djamol Gafurov, isn't employed by a limo company. Rather, he is self-employed, and was driving with liability insurance, but not the excessive insurance that would be needed to cover a situation like this. As such, Fahrbach's lawyer is hoping that Uber, which does have excessive liability insurance, will step up and cover Fahrbach's medical costs, even though the company has a policy of not accepting responsibility for any such accidents. As for Fahrbach, she told the Guardian she lost two jobs after the accident, and had to move back in with her family in North Carolina. She can't afford the medical bills herself, and says if the lawsuit's unsuccessful, her "financial future will be dismal." We'll keep an eye on this one.
