Habiba Al-Shamaa, known in the media as the “Sunrise Girl,” died a short while ago in Egypt after her health condition deteriorated and she fell into a coma 3 weeks ago, after she jumped out of the car after fearing a kidnapping attempt.
Investigations revealed that Habiba was suffering from fractures and a cerebral hemorrhage that put her in a coma, as a result of her jumping out of the car for fear of being kidnapped by an Uber taxi driver.
The accident of the 24-year-old girl sparked controversy on social media over the past weeks. Which began after I took an Uber car from “Madinaty,” east of the capital Cairo On her way to the Fifth Settlement, she threw herself from the car after she sensed danger in the behavior of the driver, who sprayed perfume – according to the testimony of the accused driver – inside the car.
Eyewitnesses also explained that he stopped to help the girl after she jumped from the back door of a car on the Suez Road. The witness confirmed that the girl, before she lost consciousness, said in simple words that the Uber driver tried to kidnap her, so she jumped out of the car.
The eyewitness tried to provide first aid before the ambulance arrived or transported her to Al-Shorouk General Hospital, but she suffered more than 12 consecutive seizures.
The accident, which occurred on the Cairo-Suez road, caused Al-Shamaa to fall from the car, and she suffered internal bleeding and several fractures, wounds, and bruises in various parts of the body. She was taken to the hospital after losing consciousness, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi directed that she be transferred to the International Medical Center Hospital to receive treatment.
As for Dina Omar, the girl’s mother, she said that her daughter communicated with her on the phone during the trip, but she was unable to hear her complaint because of the sound of the songs that was inside the car.
According to the statements of Habiba’s mother, the driver did not stop to save her daughter, but ended the trip and received the financial compensation for her. According to the confessions of the accused, 34 years old, in the investigations, he sprayed perfume in the car, and while the girl jumped out of the car suddenly, he feared being exposed to harm, so he did not stop to help her. .
Exposing the circumstances of what was circulated on social media included a woman jumping from a car on the Suez Road in Cairo.
Upon examination, it was found that he had been reported to a police station #Sunrise Security Directorate #Cairo From one of the hospitals, receiving (the aforementioned lady – a resident of the police department). #First_SettlementShe suffered head injuries… pic.twitter.com/uL3IrJd02F– Ministry of Interior (@moiegy) February 24, 2024
A few days ago, the lawyer for Habiba Al-Shamaa’s family filed an official complaint against the legal representative of Uber in America and his counterpart in Egypt, accusing the company and the driver of negligence and endangering the lives of others, after it was proven that the accused driver was using drugs, demanding civil compensation and holding the company responsible for all legal consequences.
Uber Egypt expressed its deep sadness over the incident, stressing its cooperation with the investigating authorities to ensure that all necessary measures are taken.
Lawsuits against Uber
Between 2009 and 2016, Uber paid $161.9 million in fines in safety-related lawsuits, and a year later the company faced a class-action lawsuit in America, which accused the company of “giving perpetrators of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and physical violence access to thousands of vulnerable victims in… All over the country.”
In 2019, Uber faced another lawsuit, and was forced to pay $10 million to a woman after an Uber driver sexually assaulted her.
In 2022, more than 550 women in the United States of America filed a lawsuit against the transportation company Uber on charges related to harassment and sexual assault by the company’s drivers.
According to the lawsuits, the complainants reported incidents of violence and assaults in a number of American states, while the complaints were filed with the Supreme Court in San Francisco, where the company’s main headquarters is located.
The charge stated that the company had been aware since 2014 that its drivers were sexually assaulting and raping female passengers. But the accusation alleges that Uber “prioritized growth over safety.”
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