Family of Slain Uber Driver Files Lawsuit Alleging Negligence in Preventable Death
The family of Christina Spicuzza, a 38-year-old Uber driver from Pennsylvania who was carjacked and killed in February 2022, has filed a federal lawsuit against the ride-hailing giant. They claim that her tragic and wrongful death could have been prevented. Here’s what happened:
On February 12, 2022, Christina Spicuzza was found shot in the head, two days after she was last seen driving her Uber with a wanted felon in the back seat.
The lawsuit alleges that simple and affordable safety measures, like installing barriers between the front and back seats, have long been used to protect for-hire drivers from harm. However, Uber failed to provide Spicuzza with such protection and did not even warn her about its importance.
Calvin Crew, a 24-year-old suspect, is awaiting trial on charges that include criminal homicide, robbery, and evidence tampering in connection with Spicuzza’s murder.
According to court documents, Crew’s girlfriend, Tanaya Mullen, arranged an Uber ride on the evening of February 10, 2022, but dashcam footage indicates that Crew did not exit the vehicle at the end of the trip.
When the Uber app prompted “Drop off Tanaya,” Crew allegedly brandished a gun, threatened Spicuzza, and forced her to keep driving.
Despite Spicuzza’s plea for her life and her mention of her four children, Crew continued to threaten her and took control of her phone and the dashboard camera.
Spicuzza’s remains were found in the woods two days later, along with a 9mm casing.
Crew was arrested on February 12, 2022, on an outstanding warrant related to attempting to buy a gun, which was illegal due to his previous robbery conviction.
The lawsuit contends that Uber could have taken several measures to prevent this tragedy, including applying its driver background check procedures to passengers, using data analysis to screen out dangerous passengers, allowing drivers to cancel suspicious fares without penalties, or providing basic safety features in Spicuzza’s Uber-rented car.
While Uber refrained from commenting on the pending litigation, they assured that canceling a trip due to safety concerns would not count against the driver.
Uber emphasized its commitment to driver safety and mentioned various safety measures they’ve introduced over the years, such as the in-app Safety Toolkit, account freezes for users with fake names, and ID requirements for riders in some cases.
Calvin Crew is set to appear in court on September 18 for a pretrial motion hearing.
No family should endure such a devastating loss, and Uber pledges to continue investing in safety features to enhance driver security.