Employment Laws 
Derek SmithDrexel University Student reports Sexual Assault by Uber Employee
Philadelphia, PA – A female student from Drexel University said her Uber driver sexually assaulted her last month. The student recently informed the news about how the tragic incident transpired.
The female student said the incident occurred on July 16, 2016, around 2 a.m. She claims her and her friend were ready to depart from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She said she called an Uber pool to take them home considering they lived relatively close to one another. When the Uber driver arrived, the student said another young man was in the back seat prior to their entrance.
The student said the driver dropped her friend off in University City first. She said she lived four blocks away from her friend. The student said she should have been the next person to get dropped off, but the driver claimed he allegedly “made the wrong turn,” and decided to take the young man home second.
After the Uber driver dropped the young man off, the student said he headed back towards her residence on Chestnut Street. During the short trip, the victim said the driver engaged in unwanted physical contact with her. The student said, “I remember being pressed up against the corner of the car; I was saying ‘please stop, please stop.” The sexual assault report did not indicate if the Uber driver ever stopped touching the victim.
The victim said the driver eventually stopped the car at a red light, and she managed to unlock the door and escape from her attacker, and seek local help from a bystander. After the victim made it to safe grounds, she said she was overwhelmed with shock. A few days later, she found the strength to alert her parents about the sexual assault incident that took place. The student and her parents filed a police report, and Uber immediately terminated the driver from the company.
Currently, Uber has agreed to aid the Philadelphia police department with the sexual assault investigation. At the present time, the victim has not filed any charges against Uber or the former Uber driver.
Revealing Sexual Harassment
Speaking up about sexual harassment is one of the hardest challenges victims face. It’s hard to endure the cruel activity, and reliving the horrible experience through verbal expression is painful. It took the student a month to share her sexual assault experience with the Uber driver. Nonetheless, she did, and she might have helped far more individuals than she can imagine. In spite of her experience, she said she didn’t want another individual to become a victim, which motivated her to speak up.
The one thing the victim remembered the most was the way the Uber driver looked at her. She said, “I just remember the way he looked at me. It was like I was not a human being.” The incident discouraged her from riding an Uber again. It will take a while for the student to return to a normal state of mind. She said strangers who resemble her attacker still frighten her.
Sexual Harassment Lawyer
If you are a victim of sexual harassment by an employee of small or large companies, contact a sexual harassment lawyer at 800-807-2209 for a free consultation. Our sexual harassment lawyers are highly skilled in providing legal guidance including answering questions, explaining federal and state laws, and delivering the best legal representation to victims of sexual harassment.
