Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-18 · by Hannah Fingerhut The Associated Press
Carol Normandin and Ken Parker were awarded $40 million in an arbitration decision against Uber for the death of their daughter Emily Normandin-Parker. The 23-year-old was struck by a car on Route 73 in Orange County, California, after her Uber driver illegally pulled over to assist a vomiting friend while she waited outside. An independent arbitrator found Uber and the driver jointly liable, rejecting Uber's argument that it is not responsible for its drivers' actions. The company disputes this ruling but has acknowledged ongoing efforts to improve safety standards.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-19,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On August 12, 2023, Emily Normandin-Parker, a 23-year-old UCLA graduate, was killed after her Uber driver left her and a friend on the side of State Route 73 in Orange County, California. The women had vomited inside the car, prompting the driver to kick them out at an unsafe location near an exit ramp. Emily was subsequently hit by another vehicle while waiting for help.
In a five-day arbitration hearing, Uber argued that the driver was an independent contractor and not their responsibility under California law. However, arbitrator Richard A. Stone ruled against Uber, ordering it to pay $40 million to Emily’s parents, Carol Normandin and Ken Parker, with $20 million going to each parent. The company has contested the decision.
The ruling aims to highlight safety issues in ride-hailing services and may impact how companies like Uber are held accountable for the actions of their drivers.
Written for “Uber Wrongful Death Settlement” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 8 other(s) covering the same event.
The parents of a 23-year-old woman who was fatally struck after her Uber driver pulled over along a southern California highway were awarded $40 million after an arbitrator found both Uber and the driver liable for her death.
asserted
Uber → strike → death
Carol Normandin and Ken Parker said Friday that they hope the amount will put a spotlight on the 2023 death of their daughter, Emily Normandin-Parker and to use the money to advocate for strengthening safety standards and transparency in the ride-hailing industry.
“I want to do good with it,” Parker said of the money, but “I never wanted it.
asserted
I → say → it
No parent would ever want it.
asserted
parent → want → it
The best thing about it is that it’s bringing attention to the issue that sorely needs attention.
asserted
that → bring → attention
On the night she was killed, Normandin-Parker had ordered the Uber for her and her friend to get home after spending a night out drinking alcohol.
asserted
her → kill → alcohol
When the friend got sick and vomited, driver Vu Tran pulled over on the side of Route 73 in Orange County and all three got out of the car before Normandin-Parker was hit by traffic.
asserted
Parker → get → traffic
During arbitration, Uber had argued that it’s a technology platform connecting riders with “independent third-party drivers,” according to the independent arbitrator, Richard Stone.
uncertain
it → argue → arbitrator
But Stone, a retired judge, wrote that he rejected that argument and found Uber was “vicariously liable” for the driver’s negligence.
asserted
Uber → retire → negligence
Uber disagreed.
asserted
Uber → disagree → ?
“While we respect the arbitration process, we believe the arbitrator was wrong in holding Uber legally responsible for the tragic events of that night,” the company said in a statement, adding that they have continued to “strengthen our approach to safety over the years.”
asserted
they → respect → years
Attorneys who represented Tran at the arbitration hearing did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
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who → represent → comment
The arbitration document, dated in July, was released by Normandin and Parker’s attorneys this week.
asserted
document → date → Normandin
Stone decided Uber and Tran were jointly responsible for $20 million to each parent.
asserted
Uber → decide → parent
There are holes in what ultimately happened “in those crucial moments,” the arbitrator wrote, as “no one presented entirely credible testimony.”
asserted
one → be → testimony
But the evidence shows Tran pulled into a gore point — the area between a ramp and the road — and began to argue with Normandin-Parker’s friend outside of the car, according to Stone.
uncertain
Tran → show → Stone
Neither saw traffic hit Normandin-Parker.
asserted
traffic → see → Parker
“In a fit of anger, he needlessly placed them (and himself) in danger by illegally stopping in the gore point when he could have easily … stopped in a safe place instead alongside an active freeway at night,” Stone wrote.
uncertain
Stone → place → night
“Tran then abandoned those two young women, whom he knew to be intoxicated and whom he had kicked out of his car in his anger over what had transpired, in that spot.
asserted
what → abandon → spot
After Tran left the scene, GPS data shows he pulled over at the next exit and called Uber about securing a cleaning fee, Stone said.
asserted
Stone → leave → fee
California law allows Uber and other ride-sharing platforms to treat their drivers as independent contractors, but Stone rejected the idea that that absolves Uber of liability.
asserted
that → allow → liability
Uber should “learn from this tragic incident” and change its approach to passenger safety, Stone wrote.
asserted
Stone → learn → safety
“Should it fail to do so, it no doubt engages in that approach at its own substantial risk,” he said.
asserted
he → fail → risk
The case went through arbitration because Uber’s terms of service, which riders agree to when they sign up, require claims or disputes be resolved with the private resolution process.
uncertain
claims → go → process
The arbitrator’s decision, unlike a court ruling, does not establish legal precedent.
asserted
decision → establish → precedent
Uber said in its statement that it continues to invest in safety with “new technology, policies and safeguards” and guidance to drivers on avoiding unsafe drop-off locations and said its work on safety “is never finished.”
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work → say → safety
Normandin and Parker remembered their daughter for her creativity, sense of humor and kindness.
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Normandin → remember → humor
She was a writer, working on being a playwright, an older sister and an advocate for others.
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She → work → others
They established the Emily Normandin-Parker Foundation and said they will also be using the money to fund scholarship and mentorship opportunities and to support LGBTQ+ organizations.
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they → establish → organizations
They criticized Uber’s response as a reflection of the company’s “pathological inability to admit responsibility.”
asserted
They → criticize → responsibility
“They’re focused on their bottom line, to the detriment of safety,” Parker said.
asserted
Parker → ’re → safety
“They don’t care about safety.
asserted
They → care → safety
They care about money.”
asserted
They → care → money
The Aporia
