Noida man dies in cab accident, family claims Uber driver fell asleep at wheel
Noida man dies in Uber accident after driver allegedly falls asleep
A Noida man lost his life in a road accident after the driver of his Uber cab allegedly fell asleep at the wheel. Rakesh Arora, 59, was a resident of Delhi NCR who left his home around 3.50am on Saturday in an Uber cab. According to an NDTV report, Arora was on his way to the airport to catch a flight to Bengaluru.
Within 20 minutes, however, the vehicle he was in – a Maruti Suzuki WagonR – crashed into a stationary truck on the DND Flyway that connects Noida to Delhi. Arora’s daughter, Shriti, claims that the driver of his Uber fell asleep while driving, leading to the fatal outcome.
According to the NDTV report, the 32-year-old driver, named Sudhir, and 59-year-old Rakesh Arora were both rushed to AIIMS. Arora was declared brought dead.
The driver is currently undergoing treatment. “Doctors have said he is unfit to give a statement, and the final medical opinion is pending. No witnesses have been found,” said an official.
‘Negligence of your driver and your company’
In a thread shared on the social media platform X, Shriti said that the lives of their family had been changed forever because of Uber’s negligence. She slammed the ride hailing company for not informing the family of her father’s accident, and for blocking his Uber account later.
“Our lives were completely changed forever because of the negligence of your driver and your company. Sudhir accepted the ride of my father and crashed the car within 20 minutes at DND Flyover…” Shriti Arora wrote on X.
'Who is accountable?' asks daughter
Shriti further asked who should be held responsible for her father’s death, claiming that nobody informed them about the accident. Rakesh Arora’s niece, Kanika Gera, said he lay for 45 minutes after the accident as nobody stepped forward to help him.
“For 45 long minutes, he lay there. No ambulance. No medical help. No emergency response,” Gera claimed in a LinkedIn post.
The victim’s daughter explained that it was ultimately an Apple notification that informed them about the car crash. She also alleged that police did not help them remove the body from the car.
“Nobody and I mean NOBODY, not Delhi Police or MCD Delhi, helped us to get my father out of the car. We had to yell and plead for them to take us to a hospital,” she wrote.
“All the combined incompetencies took my father’s life. I want to call upon a murderer, but I don’t know who to pick from the crowd,” the bereaved daughter added.
Uber's response
"We’re deeply saddened by this tragic incident, and our thoughts are with the rider’s family during this incredibly difficult time.
"As soon as we were notified, we removed the driver’s access to the Uber app. We also connected the rider’s next of kin with our third-party insurance partner. We’re standing by to support law enforcement with any relevant information they may need," an Uber spokesperson told HT.com.
