A biotech CEO from Charleston, South Carolina, has filed a lawsuit against Uber after a simple booking turned violent and left him injured and unconscious in a parking lot.
The shocking incident, which was captured on surveillance video, showed Uber driver Uliumdzhiev Vadim Nikolaevich knocking out TC BioPharm CEO Bryan Kobel as he held his service dog.
Kobel ended up being rushed to the hospital with a brain injury, which left him unable to do his duties properly for months.
The violent assault was caught on camera as Kobel held his service dog
Image credits: The Law Office of Kenneth Berger
According to Kobel, 45, he had canceled his Uber ride in April from a French restaurant, Maison, when the driver refused to allow his service dog into the vehicle, an Audi SUV.
Kobel recalled that his exchange with the driver was brief. But just moments later, as he stood in the parking lot of a Charleston restaurant with his 17-pound golden doodle, Nikolaevich, 42, exited the vehicle and charged at him.
Disturbing footage showed Nikolaevich aggressively approaching Kobel before head-butting and punching him with enough force to knock him unconscious, according to the New York Post.
Image credits: TC BioPharm
The impact left Kobel bleeding from the head while his dog tumbled to the ground beside him.
Horrified witnesses rushed to help and called 911, with one caller telling dispatchers, “He’s bleeding very badly in the back of the head. We’re going to need an ambulance. Send the police. … There’s a gazillion witnesses.”
When Kobel regained consciousness, he was in a hospital bed with seven staples in his head and four stitches.
“The next thing I know, I’m waking up in a hospital bed with seven staples in my head and four stitches. It’s been a brutal experience to this day,” Kobel said.
Doctors confirmed a concussion and scarring, and the TC BioPharm CEO later shared that the brain injury caused memory loss and difficulty speaking in the weeks that followed.
“My job involves a lot of public speaking, and I was unsure whether I would be able to do that again,” he said.
Image credits: Charleston Guru
“I wondered, am I ever going to be the person I was before? And that’s a very scary thought.”
Kobel’s lawsuit, filed in Charleston County Court, has accused Uber of negligence in screening and monitoring its drivers.
“Uber hides behind a thin veil of legalese to protect their riders. Frankly, it’s fake. The company needs to make substantial changes on how it protects riders,” Kobel said.
Image credits: Unsplash
Charleston County Sheriff’s Office records revealed that Nikolaevich was later arrested for second-degree assault and battery, but he was released on a $10,000 bond.
Kobel’s lawsuit alleges that Uber is failing to protect riders
While the attack itself was traumatizing, Kobel later learned some details that made his encounter with the violent driver even worse.
Image credits: The Law Office of Kenneth Berger
As it turned out, Nikolaevich had been working for Uber with a fraudulent license. He was also undocumented.
“Uber has to take more accountability for its drivers. They’re opening the door to mayhem.”
“Uber let a wolf into the henhouse. They allowed a man who was in a country illegally, a Russian national with a fake license, go through their background check and snake his way in and then have what was nothing more than a violent outburst for no reason,” Kobel said.
Image credits: The Law Office of Kenneth Berger
Kobel said the most disturbing part was that, after leaving him bleeding in the lot, the driver immediately picked up another passenger, according to a Fox News report.
“This man violently assaults me, leaves me effectively bleeding out from my head in a parking lot, speeds off, and picks somebody up two minutes later,” the CEO stated.
Adding to the frustration, Kobel claimed that Uber suspended and deactivated his account within days of the incident, despite him providing hospital records and police documents.
Image credits: Charleston County Detention Center
“When I left the hospital, my account had been suspended, and within 48 hours, it had been deactivated.
“Despite me sharing hospital records, police records, the detective’s name and phone number, and images of the assault, Uber chose to effectively victim-blame me and vilify me,” he said.
Uber condemned the incident, though Kobel’s attorney says the ride-hailing giant should do better
Image credits: Fox News
Uber issued a statement condemning the violence but declined to discuss the lawsuit directly.
“There is no place for violence on the Uber platform,” the company said. “While we can’t comment on pending litigation, Uber is deeply committed to safety and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations around worker eligibility.”
The company added that it screens drivers using background checks, social security numbers, and driver’s licenses, but it did not explain how the driver in question slipped through the cracks.
Kenneth Berger, Kobel’s attorney, for his part, stated that Uber must do better to ensure its riders’ safety because it provides an essential service to people.
“Riders rely on Uber to know who is behind the wheel. We’re seeking answers and accountability for how an undocumented individual using a fraudulent ID was able to access Uber’s platform, assault a passenger and flee.
“Publicly traded companies that profit from public trust must have screening and real-time identity systems that actually protect people,” Berger said.
Netizens weighed in on the CEO’s violent experience with his Uber driver on social media
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