Uber faces lawsuit for New Year’s Eve death of 6-year-old girl

Uber, the popular ride-sharing company, is facing a lawsuit for the death of a 6-year-old who was hit and killed by a company driver in San Francisco on New Year’s Eve.

Sofia Liu died after being hit by a driver while crossing a street with her brother and mother Dec. 31. The driver, Syed Muzaffar, worked for the company’s UberX service.

So far, Uber has distanced itself from the incident, claiming Muzaffar was not working for the company at the time of the accident because he was not giving a ride to a customer when it happened. Muzaffar’s attorney has said he had driven to San Francisco that night with the intent of working for Uber and had given one ride before the accident.

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Lawyer Chris Dolan told the New York Times he would be filing the lawsuit Monday against Uber, whose service displays available drivers to riders before they request a ride.

The lawsuit also accuses Uber of causing the accident due to negligence in the design of its mobile app. Uber drivers need to use their smartphones to perform their jobs, but in California it is illegal to use a smartphone while driving.

“Uber’s claims that they are not responsible for injuries caused by Uber drivers who are logged on to the system but not carrying a fare flies in the face of hundreds of years of law,” Dolan told the New York Times. “New technology does not eliminate well-established legal principles.”

Uber declined to comment on the lawsuit.

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