Dale Williams, 30, said he feared he was going to die during the alleged attack in Mapperley
A student from Nottingham has claimed he was abandoned by an Uber driver following a violent road rage incident in which he attempted to intervene.
Dale Williams alleges he was pursued and attacked by two men who had been involved in a heated exchange with his taxi driver after a mutual road rage confrontation.
The 30 year old stated he feared for his life during the assault, which took place in Blyth Street, Mapperley, on Monday 8 December.
Uber has confirmed it treats safety matters “extremely seriously” and has initiated an investigation into the driver’s conduct, whilst police have said they are looking into the assault.
Mr Williams had just clocked off from work in the city centre when he arranged an Uber to take him to a friend’s housewarming party in Mapperley at approximately 11.30pm, reports Nottinghamshire Live.
“On the way there, we came across some guys driving really erratically and swerving,” he recalled.
Following the Uber driver’s decision to overtake the vehicle, the other motorist “got right behind” them, prompting the taxi driver to engage in “road rage” behaviour, including brake-checking, according to Mr Williams.
“They’d pulled up next to us, and I stood between them and the driver,” he said.
“They turned on me instead, and I caught a punch to the face. Another guy got out and chased me down the street.
“He got me on the floor and started kicking and stomping on me and stuff.”
Mr Williams then raised his head from the pavement to witness the Uber driver leaving the scene.
“I thought I’m going to die here. I was on the floor getting laid into,” he added. “He left me for dead. I was immediately trying to peace-keep. I hadn’t been drinking or anything.”
said Mr Williams, who sustained facial and arm injuries and was hospitalised with suspected broken ribs.
He claims that Uber has not assisted him in gathering information for an investigation into the assault. According to Mr Williams, the company has closed the case, denied him access to route data for CCTV checks, and ignored his Subject Access Request for pertinent data.
Furthermore, he alleges that Uber has blacklisted his account and remains silent on any action taken against the driver involved.
Despite having spoken to the police, he has yet to give a formal statement and fears that inaction may allow his assailants to evade justice.
An Uber spokesperson responded: “What’s been described has no place on the Uber app. Our specialist team is investigating the matter and the appropriate action will be taken with the driver.
“We take safety extremely seriously, and this isn’t the kind of experience we want anyone to have when using the Uber app. We stand ready to support the police in their investigation.”
A representative from Nottinghamshire Police stated: “Police were called to Blyth Street just before midnight on Monday 8 December following an assault. Officers located the victim at a house party. Our records show that contact has been made with the victim.
“A number of lines of inquiry have already been established to locate those responsible, and more inquiries will be conducted over the coming days. We take all reports of assaults seriously.”
