COHASSET, MASS. (WHDH) - Heart-stopping surveillance video shows the October 2021 crash that nearly cost Joshua Chapman his life.
Chapman was riding his motorcycle through Cohasset when police say an Uber driver failed to yield and cut him off with no chance to brake or swerve. He said he has no memory of being pinned under the car or being rescued.
“The next thing I remember was waking up in, I believe, the trauma room,” he told 7NEWS. “A nurse walked in and I asked her, ‘Am I going to die?”
Police said the driver of the SUV could not recall if he even saw Chapman and no evidence was found to indicate that he was driving under the influence or distracted by a cell phone.
Investigators did learn the Uber driver was on his way to pick up a passenger — something Jeff Catalano, Chapman’s lawyer, said never should have been allowed to happen.
“I think it’s safe to say his record is abysmal,” Catalano said. “We have 27 violations throughout the course of his career, four accidents in the 10 year period preceding this accident.”
Though the driver’s record was not enough to suspend his license, Catalano argued that Uber should not have let him get behind the wheel on their behalf. Now He and Chapman are preparing to sue both the company and the driver for negligence.
“I think Uber needs to have high standards –higher than simply, ‘Is this person’s license valid or not,” the attorney said.
In a statement, Uber told 7NEWS that its driver background check reviews motor vehicle reports and criminal records. Drivers are rescreened at least every six months.
However, Uber did not detail what exactly could disqualify a driver from service.
“Was it a system error in which they did not have high enough standards to screen these people? Or did he slip thru the cracks,” Catalano asked. “That’s something we’re going to be determined to find out.”
Campbell suffered extensive injuries and after nearly two months in the hospital, he still has a long road to recovery ahead of him. The crash derailed his dream of becoming a state trooper and for that, he says Uber and that driver should pay.
“They should definitely be held responsible 100 percent,” he said.
A police report does show the driver was cited for failure to yield and negligent operation.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)