A Washington County woman is claiming in a lawsuit that she had to jump from a moving Uber because she feared for her life after the driver crashed on a highway and then fled in a smoking, speeding car.
A police report stemming from the Dec. 2 crash, however, does not include those details or information about road rash and other alleged injuries she described in the lawsuit.
Kiara S. Young filed the lawsuit in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court on Tuesday alleging negligent hiring against Uber and negligence against the driver, Guy Cristiano.
Cristiano, 38, of Castle Shannon, was charged by Pennsylvania State Police with leaving an accident scene, careless driving and failure to stay in his own lane stemming from the crash on Interstate 79 north.
He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 28.
According to the lawsuit, Young was in Washington, Pa., when she requested an Uber to take her to Pittsburgh.
Cristiano picked her up in a 2023 Hyundai Kona, the complaint said. She got into the back seat.
He was involved in a crash with another northbound vehicle about 12:45 a.m., according to the lawsuit.
Cristiano didn’t stop even though one of the wheels from his vehicle rolled off during the crash and into the roadway, the complaint said.
As Cristiano continued to drive on three wheels, sparks and smoke were spraying around the vehicle, the lawsuit said.
“Ms. Young repeatedly pleaded for him to stop the vehicle,” it continued.
But Cristiano ignored her, the lawsuit said.
“In fear for her life, Ms. Young jumped from defendant Cristiano’s fleeing, smoking and speeding vehicle and landed on the roadway.”
The lawsuit alleges that Young had “road rash,” or cuts and abrasions, on her left shoulder, elbow, hip and abdomen, suffered a concussion and has post-traumatic stress disorder.
However, according to the criminal complaint filed against Cristiano, Young told police on the scene that night that she was not injured and did not require medical attention.
The criminal complaint charging Cristiano also does not include any reference to Young jumping out of the vehicle.
Police said Cristiano was traveling north on I-79 when he struck the rear of a vehicle next to him, causing it to flip onto its roof.
That driver was not injured, police said.
Cristiano continued driving and took the exit for Interstate 376 east before coming to a stop, he told police, because of the sparks coming off his vehicle.
Young told police on the scene that she asked Cristiano to stop repeatedly.
The lawsuit includes claims that Uber failed to perform an adequate background check on Cristiano and failed to properly train him.
It also includes claims against Cristiano for negligence and false imprisonment for failing to allow Young to exit the vehicle.
A message left with Young’s attorney was not returned, and Uber and Cristiano did not respond to a message seeking comment.
Blaine Jones, who represents Cristiano in his criminal case, said he expects his client to reach a resolution with the district attorney’s office at next week’s hearing.
Jones said he has not seen the lawsuit. He said he had not previously seen or heard anything about Young jumping from Cristiano’s car while it was moving.
Paula Reed Ward is a TribLive reporter covering federal and Allegheny County courts. She joined the Trib in 2019 after spending nearly 17 years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where she was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team. She is the author of “Death by Cyanide.” She can be reached at pward@triblive.com.