A Washington County woman claims in a lawsuit that she had to jump out of a moving Uber because she feared for her life after the driver crashed on a highway and then fled in a smoking, speeding car.
However, a police report on the Dec. 2 accident lacks those details or information about abrasions and other alleged injuries she described in the lawsuit.
Kiara S. Young filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Allegheny County court, accusing Uber of negligent hiring and driver Guy Cristiano of negligence.
Cristiano, 38, of Castle Shannon, was charged by the Pennsylvania State Police with leaving the scene of an accident, driving carelessly and failing to stay in his lane following the accident on Interstate 79 North.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 28.
According to the lawsuit, Young was in Washington, Pennsylvania, when she requested an Uber to take her to Pittsburgh.
Cristiano picked her up in a 2023 Hyundai Kona, the complaint says. She sat in the back seat.
According to the lawsuit, he was involved in an accident with another vehicle traveling north at around 12:45 a.m.
Cristiano did not stop even though one of the wheels of his vehicle came loose and rolled onto the road during the accident, the complaint states.
As Cristiano continued driving on three wheels, sparks and smoke sprayed around the vehicle, the lawsuit states.
“Ms. Young repeatedly pleaded with him to stop the vehicle,” it said.
But Cristiano ignored her, the lawsuit says.
“Fearing for her life, Ms. Young jumped from defendant Cristiano’s fleeing, smoking and speeding vehicle and landed on the roadway.”
The lawsuit alleges that Young had “abrasions,” which include cuts and scrapes on his left shoulder, elbow, hip and abdomen, sustained a concussion and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.
However, according to the criminal complaint filed against Cristiano, Young told police at the scene that evening that she was not injured and did not need medical attention.
The criminal complaint against Cristiano also contains no indication that Young jumped out of the vehicle.
According to police, Cristiano was driving north on I-79 when he struck the rear of a vehicle traveling alongside him, causing it to flip onto its roof.
The driver was not injured, police said.
Cristiano continued driving and took the exit to Interstate 376 East before stopping, he told police, because sparks were flying from his vehicle.
Young told police at the scene that she repeatedly asked Cristina to stop.
The lawsuit alleges, among other things, that Uber did not conduct adequate background checks on Cristiano and did not provide him with adequate training.
It also includes claims against Cristiano for negligence and false imprisonment for failing to allow Young to exit the vehicle.
A message left with Young’s attorney was not returned, and Uber and Cristiano did not respond to a message seeking comment.
Blaine Jones, who is representing Cristiano in his criminal case, said he expects his client to reach a deal with prosecutors at next week’s hearing.
Jones said he had not seen the complaint. He said he had not previously seen or heard of Young jumping out of Cristiano’s car while he was driving.
Paula Reed Ward is a reporter for TribLive covering federal courts and the Allegheny County courts. She joined the Trib in 2019 after spending nearly 17 years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where she was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team. She is the author of “Death by Cyanide.” She can be reached at [email protected].
