Woman Says Uber Driver Broke Her Jaw on New Year's Eve

A woman is suing Uber, claiming one of its drivers attacked her and broke her jaw during the ride home from a New Year's Eve party in Hollywood, NBC Los Angeles reports. "I took the Uber because they hold themselves in a safe and responsible way for people to transport themselves, and I relied upon them to provide this," 29-year-old Krystal Ortiz says. She says during the ride the driver got angry about a conversation she was having with another passenger. She recorded part of the confrontation that followed on her phone. The YouTube video shows Ortiz asking why the driver is kicking her out of the car. He claims she's being "combative" and threatens to drag her out of the car. Then it appears he hits the cellphone she's holding.

The video goes on to show the driver, who hasn't been named, get out of the car, open Ortiz's door, and ask her again to get out of the car. She again asks why, and the recording stops. Ortiz's attorney says Ortiz didn't want to get out of the Uber because it was the middle of the night in a strange neighborhood far from her home, KTLA reports. Ortiz says the driver went on to pull her from the car, punch her in the face, and force her to the ground. According to NBC, Ortiz says she needed reconstructive surgery after the driver punched her in the face multiple times. She is suing Uber for an unspecified amount. The company has "permanently deactivated" the driver. Meanwhile, the driver has filed a police report against Ortiz alleging battery. (More Uber stories.)