Transportation
The Wrongful Death Suit That Could Finally Define Uber
Questions over just who can be held liable in the "sharing economy" are coming to a head.
On New Year's Eve in San Francisco, a 6-year-old child was struck and killed by a car driven by an Uber driver on his way to pick up a fare. Today, the child's family is expected to file a wrongful death suit in Superior Court in California, naming, among other defendants, Uber Technologies, Inc.
A case like this has inevitably hovered over the so-called "sharing economy" for some time now: Someone was bound to be badly hurt – or in this case, killed – forcing the question of who bears responsibility when strangers rent rides or cars (or power drills) from each other, all with scant regulation.