Days after an Uber driver suffered a seizure and slammed into a pedestrian, the "ridesharing" company has announced that the ailing driver won't be driving for them until he's checked by a doctor.
Officials have yet to release the name of the 56-year-old driver who, at 9:58 p.m. on Saturday, drove into three parked cars, up onto the sidewalk, and into a passer-by in front of the Monarch Hotel near Polk and Geary Streets.
According to SFPD spokesperson Sergeant Danielle Newman, the Uber driver was transporting two passengers in his 2012 Mazda when he was struck by a seizure, which caused him to lose control of the car and crash.
According to a witness to the accident, who spoke with ABC7, ""I saw him choke, in the car...and then he just went on across, whoomp. And hit the pole, hit the cars. And I was like, did he pass out? I didn't know what was wrong with him."
The 30-year-old pedestrian, who ABC7 reports had just checked in to the Monarch, had a non-life-threatening head laceration as a result of the collision. Newman says he was transported to San Francisco General Hospital for treatment.
Newman says that the driver was also hospitalized, but is expected to make a full recovery. His passengers escaped unharmed.
According to Newman, the driver's license has been suspended until he can provide proof to the DMV that his medical condition will no longer have any impact on his ability to drive safely.
In a statement sent to media Monday, Uber said that the driver "has an outstanding record of service and safety with no prior incidents. Pending a medical review, he has been removed from the Uber platform."
Speaking with Bay City News, Uber spokesperson Eva Behrend described the crash as “an unfortunate situation, " and said that "we are treating the matter with the utmost urgency and care."