CHICAGO — In the over 12,000 Uber rides that Chicago driver Jose Duran has given, he said three people have vomited but no one has ever given birth in the backseat.
That was until Sunday.
“Halfway thru the ride she started screaming and I told her, ‘You are freaking me out. You ok?’ And she said, ‘Yes, I’m fine,’” he said. “And then she started screaming again and she said, ‘It’s this baby.’ And I’m like ‘What baby?’”
Duran said he had no idea the woman was even pregnant. He recognized the address where he was headed as the University of Chicago Medical Center, but he had no idea she was going there because she was in labor.
“She started screaming again and it was coming out,” he said. “I started freaking out because I’m on the Dan Ryan right before 47th and what do I do?”
After running several red lights and probably getting a ticket along the way, he finally made it to the emergency room.
Once he was sure the baby and mom were ok he reached out to Uber to see what to do next.
“They texted me and said to get (the car) detailed,” he said.
But when he tried to have it done, he was told they couldn’t because of all the bodily fluids that seeped deep into the dark cloth seats.
“The detailed place tells me the seats have to be replaced,” Duran said.
But who’s going to pay for it? Duran said he would have to pay a $1000 deductible and there’s no guarantee the rest will be covered.
“Does the lady have insurance to pay for this? It’s one of situations that no one ever thinks about,” Duran said.
Duran said he has called Uber many times since this happened and he can’t get any answers. And he can’t work until the car is cleaned. He estimates he’s losing about $600 a day. He told WGN News he can’t reach the woman because she gave a fake name on the Uber app and the hospital won’t release any information because of HIPPA laws.