The parents of a 23-year-old woman who was fatally struck after her Uber driver pulled over along a southern California highway were awarded $40 million after an arbitrator found both Uber and the driver liable for her death.
asserted
Uber → strike → death
Carol Normandin and Ken Parker said on Friday (September 18, 2026) that they hope the amount will put a spotlight on the 2023 death of their daughter, Emily Normandin-Parker, and to use the money to advocate for strengthening safety standards and transparency in the ride-hailing industry.
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amount → say → industry
“I want to do good with it,” Mr. Parker said of the money, “but I never wanted it.
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I → want → it
No parent would ever want it.
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parent → want → it
The best thing about it is that it's bringing attention to the issue that sorely needs attention.”
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that → bring → attention
On the night she was killed, Normandin-Parker had ordered the Uber for her and her friend to get home after spending a night out drinking.
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her → kill → night
When the friend got sick and vomited, driver Vu Tran pulled over on the side of Route 73 in Orange County, and all three got out of the car before Normandin-Parker was hit by traffic.
Uber disagreed
During arbitration, Uber had argued that it’s a technology platform connecting riders with “independent third-party drivers,” according to the independent arbitrator, Richard Stone.
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it → get → arbitrator
But Mr. Stone, a retired judge, wrote that he rejected that argument and found Uber was “vicariously liable” for the driver’s negligence.
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Uber → write → negligence
“While we respect the arbitration process, we believe the arbitrator was wrong in holding Uber legally responsible for the tragic events of that night,” the company said in a statement, adding that they have continued to “strengthen our approach to safety over the years.”
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they → respect → years
Attorneys who represented Mr. Tran at the arbitration hearing did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
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who → represent → comment
The arbitration document, dated in July, was released by Ms. Normandin and Mr. Parker's attorneys this week.
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document → date → Normandin
Mr. Stone decided Uber and Mr. Tran were jointly responsible for $20 million to each parent.
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Uber → decide → parent
There are holes in what ultimately happened “in those crucial moments,” the arbitrator wrote, as “no one presented entirely credible testimony.”
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one → be → testimony
But the evidence shows Mr. Tran pulled into a gore point — the area between a ramp and the road — and began to argue with Normandin-Parker's friend outside of the car, according to Mr. Stone.
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Tran → show → Stone
Neither saw traffic hit Normandin-Parker.
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traffic → see → Parker
“In a fit of anger, he needlessly placed them (and himself) in danger by illegally stopping in the gore point when he could have easily stopped in a safe place instead alongside an active freeway at night,” Mr. Stone wrote.
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Stone → place → night
“Mr. Tran then abandoned those two young women, whom he knew to be intoxicated and whom he had kicked out of his car in his anger over what had transpired, in that spot.
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what → abandon → spot
”
After Mr. Tran left the scene, GPS data shows he pulled over at the next exit and called Uber about securing a cleaning fee, Mr. Stone said.
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Stone → leave → fee
California law allows Uber and other ride-sharing platforms to treat their drivers as independent contractors, but Mr. Stone rejected the idea that that absolves Uber of liability.
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that → allow → liability
Uber should “learn from this tragic incident” and change its approach to passenger safety, Stone wrote.
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Stone → learn → safety
“Should it fail to do so, it no doubt engages in that approach at its own substantial risk,” he said.
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he → fail → risk
The case went through arbitration because Uber’s terms of service, which riders agree to when they sign up, require claims or disputes be resolved with the private resolution process.
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claims → go → process
The arbitrator's decision, unlike a court ruling, does not establish legal precedent.
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decision → establish → precedent
Uber said in its statement that it continues to invest in safety with “new technology, policies and safeguards” and guidance to drivers on avoiding unsafe drop-off locations and said its work on safety “is never finished.”
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work → say → safety
Ms. Normandin and Mr. Parker remembered their daughter for her creativity, sense of humour, and kindness.
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Normandin → remember → humour
She was a writer, working on being a playwright, an older sister and an advocate for others.
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She → work → others
They established the Emily Normandin-Parker Foundation and said they will also be using the money to fund scholarship and mentorship opportunities and to support LGBTQ+ organizations.
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they → establish → organizations
They criticized Uber's response as a reflection of the company's “pathological inability to admit responsibility.”
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They → criticize → responsibility
“They're focused on their bottom line, to the detriment of safety,” Mr. Parker said.
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Parker → focus → safety
“They don't care about safety.
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They → care → safety
They care about money.”
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They → care → money
The Aporia
