A Houston Uber driver has been sidelined following a devastating accident that claimed the life of a 1-year-old girl near Bush Airport, officials said, as the fallout from the tragic crash raises legal and ethical questions. According to ABC13, the incident occurred when the toddler, exiting the vehicle at an apartment complex on Waverly Drive, walked in front of the car and was fatally struck as the driver, who claimed not to see the child, began moving forward.
The aftermath saw the driver hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after being assaulted by family members, the ABC13 report details, as the child was rushed to hospital in a critical condition but sadly did not survive; meanwhile Uber in a statement has conveyed their devastation about the heartbreaking event and confirmed the suspension of the driver pending the ongoing investigation.
Speculation around potential charges for the driver or the toddler's family members prompted FOX 26 to consult legal expert Brian Foley who aired a contrast between possibly applicable charges such as criminally negligent homicide or manslaughter, which would hinge on the driver's mental state during the accident "The two charges that could be applicable here are criminally negligent homicide or manslaughter, which means reckless homicide. So, depending on the mental state of the driver, that would [determine] his criminal capability," he said, Foley also mentioned the responsibility caretakers have for a child's safety which could sway liability.
Nonetheless in the same FOX 26 piece, Foley pointed to the tragedy's nature and his doubts about any criminal wrongdoing "Not every tragedy involves criminal behavior," he said, "From what I saw in the video, I don't think any person there wanted this to happen, it didn't appear that extreme negligence or gross deviation from the standard of care happened and because of that it looks like a tragedy,"
