A 55-year-old Uber XL driver suffered cuts and bruises on her head, neck, shoulders, and back early Sunday after several passengers in her van allegedly beat her. She picked up the passengers on Las Vegas’ Fremont Street.
Victoria Partridge, a Las Vegas Uber driver, suffered eye injuries after passengers attacked her, pictured above. The passengers robbed money and stole her cell phone, too. (Image: KSNV)
They also robbed money from her tip jar and her cell phone. The vehicle is damaged in several locations. Until repaired, it is not drivable.
The incident began when the driver, Victoria Partridge, drove to the downtown Las Vegas casino and entertainment corridor at about 12:30 am.
When she arrived, seven young women wanted a ride in her Toyota Sienna. Partridge explained to them she could only seat up to six in the van based on Uber rules and state law.
But the women, who apparently ranged in age between 20 and 23, were adamant they each wanted a ride. Partridge opened the van’s doors repeatedly to get the women to leave. But they kept closing the doors and continued to argue with her.
The dispute lasted between five and seven minutes. Partridge eventually relented.
I realized that there was no other solution, but to give them that ride and be done with this unpleasant situation,” she recalled in a social media post.
Partridge then drove the seven women to an apartment. It is about seven minutes from Fremont Street.
When they began exiting the van, the woman sitting in the front passenger seat suddenly threw her drink into Partridge’s face. She then threw the cup at Partridge. Partridge tossed it back at her.
The passenger began assaulting Partridge’s head. Another passenger opened the driver’s side door and assaulted Partridge, too. She repeatedly was punched in the face.
A third woman in the back seat grabbed the tip jar and stole the money. One of the passengers also stole Partridge’s cell phone.
One of the women additionally dented the passenger side door after forcefully kicking it. A windshield wiper lever was stolen, too.
Driver Prayed
“All I could do is try to protect my face. I was trying to keep my hands on my face and I prayed that they don’t cut my eye or both eyes …,” Partridge said. “This was going on for a few minutes, but it felt like an hour.”
She is now home, recovering from the attack.
My face is unrecognizable now, all swollen, with a black eye and a lot of scratches,” Partridge revealed in the post. “I can’t breathe through my nose because it’s all swollen, my ear and shoulder were … [bleeding], bruises on my head, arms, and back.”
Partridge and her husband work full-time as Uber drivers. Since February 2021, she has given some 4,000 rides in Nevada. Now, they have no income.
Since the attack, she finds herself sleeping no more than two to three hours each night. Initially, she did not get treatment at a hospital because she could not cover the cost.
After KSNV, a local TV station, contacted Uber, the company said it would pay for all repairs to her van. Uber will also donate $5,000 — which could be used for health expenses.
Police Have Delayed Response
She immediately contacted the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. But as of Wednesday, LVMPD had not begun to investigate the crime, KSNV reported. Officers had not viewed video from a camera inside the van.
Police have also yet to view the name, contact information, and picture of the woman who booked the ride. The ride was booked through an Uber app.
This brutal attack against the driver is horrifying. The riders should be held accountable and we look forward to helping the police with their investigation,” Uber said in a statement quoted by KSNV.
Uber also banned the passenger who booked the ride. Partridge is thinking about suing her attackers.
Partridge started a GoFundMe campaign to help cover expenses. As of Thursday, it had led to $2,939 in donations. The goal is $20,000.
Prior Uber Driver Attack
In 2019, two young men attacked a Las Vegas Uber driver after he refused to given them a ride. They entered the car near the Las Vegas Convention Center.
They had asked for a ride for a single passenger, but two showed up when the driver arrived. They began punching him. The driver suffered a broken cheekbone, KVVU, a local TV station, reported.
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