Biotech CEO Bryan Kobel, who was allegedly attacked by an Uber driver, has expressed shock over how the ride-hailing platform reacted to his injury.
Kobel said that he provided Uber with hospital records, a police report and photographs of his injuries, but the company failed to take action. It deactivated his account, instead.
"In fact, he [driver] picks up an Uber ride about two minutes later after leaving me for dead," he said, adding, "About 48 to 72 hours later, Uber just deactivated my account," according to Fox8 News.
He said that he believed Uber carefully checks the background of all its drivers through a strict process.
"You would have assumed, and I had up until that date, that they [Uber] do background checks. They vet these individuals. That they've got a stringent process that's difficult to evade, and apparently that's not the case," he added.
The driver, Vadim Uliumdzhiev, 42, is accused of attacking Mr Kobel. Uliumdzhiev entered the United States illegally, according to the Department of Homeland Security. He was taken into custody following the assault, charged with second-degree assault and battery, and then freed on a $10,000 bond.
He has since been placed in ICE custody.
"I was shocked. Uber is a $200 billion company. When you get in a car with the Uber sticker on it, it carries that brand weight. It carries the trust that you have in that brand," he told The New York Post.
Mr Kobel is now suing Uber, accusing it of negligence, failing to vet its drivers properly, and putting profits over passenger safety.
Uber, in a statement, said, "There is no place for violence on the Uber platform. While we can't comment on pending litigation, Uber is deeply committed to safety and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations around worker eligibility."
Recalling the incident, Mr Kobel said that when he told the Uber driver he would be travelling with a service animal, he kept objecting. The CEO alleged that he then asked the driver to cancel the ride, after which the driver followed him and confronted him on the street.
"I put my hand out saying, 'Get in your car,' and that's it. Next thing I know, I'm on my back in the hospital," he described the situation.
