A Florida family is demanding answers from Uber after they say their 12-year-old daughter hailed a ride in the middle of the night and then jumped off a downtown Orlando parking garage.
The family of Benita “BB” Diamond said Thursday that their daughter would still be alive if the driver had followed Uber’s policy on transporting minors.
The girl used her mom’s phone to download the Uber app in the middle of the night Jan. 10, her family said.
Her parents said she was never allowed to use ride-share apps before and took her mother’s phone because her own was locked. Diamond paid for the ride with a gift card she received for Christmas, her parents said.
According to her family, the Uber took Diamond to downtown Orlando, where she then walked to the top of a parking garage and jumped off. She left a letter behind.
“If Uber had followed their policy, without a doubt, our daughter would still be here,” her father said. “That would have been the one red flag we would have caught. There is no way she’s getting away with that in our household. We were too much active parents.”
The parents said they want Uber to enforce its policy that minors shouldn’t ride alone, especially not without checking for parental consent.
The family said they hope their demand letter to Uber can make a difference.
An Uber spokesperson said the matter was not reported to them over the last six months. They said the company is investigating and “will take appropriate action.”