Companies are responsible for the actions of independent contractors working for the company. This has been the law for...decades...
Why are you trying so hard to defend a multibillion dollar corporation?
I'm not arguing in defense of Uber, but to point out how ridiculous this legal jackpot is in the face of established law. Modern society seems to have thrown out any semblance of justice, fairness, and consistency in favor of who's got the best sob story or has the right skin color/ethnic group/income level/ political connections for that particular venue.
In a just world, I may concur with third, but don't let the perfect be the enemy of good.
Meanwhile, if you get hit by an illegal immigrant driving a commercial truck in California, you get nothing, while the criminal is set free back on the road: https://www.dhs.gov/news/2026/09/18/ice-lodges-detainer-ille...
Note that even if the driver was an independent contractor and this mattered, Uber would still have had liability for negligence due to their failure to properly vet and/or train the drivers working on their platform.