Christina Spicuzza: Family of fatally shot driver and mother-of-four who begged for her life sues Uber
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA: The family of a Pennsylvania Uber driver named Christina Spicuzza who begged a customer to spare her life before she was allegedly shot to death during a robbery attempt is now suing the rideshare company.
Spicuzza's mother has filed a wrongful death and negligence lawsuit against Uber more than a year after the tragic incident, reported Law and Crime.
Who is Calvin Crew?
The alleged murderer Calvin Crew, who was 22-year-old at the time of the horrifying crime, was picked by Spicuzza on February 10.
The ex-convict allegedly put a gun to the back of Spicuzza's head just 10 minutes into the ride.
After she felt the gun, the Turtle Creek resident said, "You’ve got to be joking," as per the dashcam footage.
Crew then allegedly told Spicuzza to "keep driving" as she pleaded "Come on, I have a family."
"I got a family, too, now drive,” the man responded.
"Do what I say and everything will be alright," Crew told Spicuzza. The footage concludes after he grabs the camera.
What are the charges against Calvin Crew?
According to the Allegheny County Police, Spicuzza was found dead in a wooded area.
The body suffered a single gunshot wound to the head in February 2022.
Several days later, Crew was taken into custody and was charged with robbery, criminal homicide, and tampering with evidence.
As per the complaint, the dashcam was found by the police who discovered it near the place where Crew requested to be dropped off.
Who is Cindy Spicuzza?
Attorneys representing Cindy Spicuzza, mother of Christina from Turtle Creek who filed a federal lawsuit against Uber, now allege that the rideshare company's alleged negligence makes them liable for her daughter's wrongful death.
“Had Uber applied its driver background check procedures to passengers, used its massive data analysis capabilities to screen out dangerous passengers, permitted drivers to cancel suspicious fares without penalty, or simply provided basic safety features in Ms Spicuzza’s Uber-approved rental car, these simple and effective measures—all readily available to Uber—could have saved Ms Spicuzza’s life," the lawsuit stated.
"Unfortunately, however, Uber knew the dangers its drivers faced from dangerous, unverified passengers like Mr Crew, and chose to do nothing, evincing a conscious corporate attitude for ‘profits over people,’ leaving behind Ms Spicuzza’s family to grieve her tragic and preventable death," the lawsuit added.
Uber responded to Christina Spicuzza's federal lawsuit
Addressing the lawsuit filed against Uber, the company issued a statement.
"No family should have to suffer such an unimaginable loss," the statement began.
"While we cannot comment on pending litigation, we are committed to the safety of drivers who utilize the Uber app."
"Over the years, we’ve introduced features and policies, designed with safety in mind, like the in-app Safety Toolkit, the ability to freeze rider accounts with fake names and requiring ID from riders in some circumstances," the statement continued.
"The safety of drivers is a high priority, and we’ll continue investing in safety features to raise the bar," concluded the statement.
