Motorcyclist Prepares Lawsuit Against Uber After Crash Caught On Camera
BOSTON (CBS) - It happened in an instant and 25-year-old Joshua Chapman came within an inch of his life. Surveillance video shows him being cut off at a Cohasset intersection and becoming pinned under the vehicle.
"This could end very badly, and I'm just happy to be alive to tell you the truth," Chapman tells WBZ-TV in an exclusive interview.
The driver was an Uber driver, say police, who told them he was on his way to pick up a fare and didn't remember seeing the motorcycle. The driver, identified as Emmanuel Chauvet in the police report, was supposed to yield to traffic before making a left turn.
"He didn't stop he went right for it, that's just negligence to me," said Chapman.
The Scituate man and his attorney Jeffrey Catalano are now preparing a lawsuit against the driver and Uber saying he shouldn't have been behind the wheel. They cite a driving record with 27 moving violations including a previous accident with bodily injury liability and seven speeding citations.
"You have to ask yourself if this guy is a qualified driver for Uber what does it take to not be qualified? How many more violations do you need to not be qualified," said Catalano.
The driver's attorney wouldn't comment to WBZ-TV. In a statement Uber said, "In Massachusetts drivers are required to go through a two-part screening process." That includes a check of their driving record, a CORI check and rescreening at least every six months.
Witnesses told police Joshua Chapman was going the speed limit in heavier traffic at rush hour. He can't remember the violent collision and is stunned by the video. "I was just in shock, I said to myself how did I survive this thing."
Catalano says the lawsuit is aimed at making Uber more cautious. "It's about who they put on the road and force them to do better," Catalano said.
Chapman spent several days in the ICU and has skin grafts and injuries that have left him in constant pain since the accident October 12, 2021, along with mounting medical bills. "Uber should be held accountable and screen their drivers more in-depth because this shouldn't have happened," said Chapman.
Now each day, he says, is a fight to recover.