Double amputee, 33, told to ‘f*** off’ by Uber driver in London who refused to take her home claiming she was drunk’

A DOUBLE amputee, 33, claims she was left stranded after being told to “f*** off” by an Uber driver who refused to take her home because “she was drunk”.

Clare Brown, 33, who has survived both meningitis and a stroke, had been on a night out in Uxbridge, West London, when she ordered an Uber car home with husband Chris.

Double amputee Clare Brown, 33, had been on a night out with husband Chris, left, when she claims an Uber driver refused to take her because he believed she was drunk

Clare had both her legs removed due to meningitis and now walks with prosthetics

The aspiring model was left stranded when the Uber driver allegedly sped off at ’70mph’

But the aspiring model claims the driver that arrived turned them away when she asked him to park closer to The Three Steps bar because she was unable to walk.

She claims the Uber driver insisted she was drunk and told them to “f*** off” before speeding off “at about 70mph”.

Clare, who will feature in London’s Alternative Fashion Week in September, claims the incident has put her off going out.

Clare, from Selsey, Sussex, said: “I just thought how the hell am I going to get home?

Clare’s husband Chris had asked the driver to park closer because she’s disabled but he claims the driver thought she was drunk

The mum-of-two claims the incident has put her off using Uber in the future

“We’d had a really fun night then ordered a car at around 9.45pm and waited outside the karaoke bar.

“When the Uber arrived, my husband ran up to the car and asked if the driver would mind coming to the other side of the road because I was disabled and wouldn’t be able to walk across.

“Just by seeing me coming across the road, he thought I was too drunk. I have scarring of the lungs so I can’t walk very much at all.

“He nearly ran my husband over as he zoomed off as fast as anything at about 70mph.

“By that point I was in tears – I wasn’t drunk. I have disabilities which mean I’m constantly dizzy and due to the stroke my speech is affected.

“I’m on so many tablets anyway that I can only have one drink and have to water that down.”

Due to her reduced mobility, she is reliant on support from both sides while walking and was upset that her disability was perceived as drunkenness, even after her husband told the driver she was an amputee.

Clare said: “I have no idea what he was thinking, but he sped off straight away.

“Chris was quite upset with what had happened but when he complained, he just received a generic message back.

“As he said, the problem is they can just do what they want. There are so many problems with Uber drivers.

“Everyone was trying to comfort me after we’d just had a really good laugh and got to know each other.

“When I was 17, I was in an induced coma after contracting meningitis. I was like that for six months in the hospital because they said if I moved I would die.

“It was to keep me completely still and during that time I had a stroke down my left-hand side too.

“I also had a brain haemorrhage because of surgery they did to take pressure off my brain and suffered internal bleeding.

“They were talking about turning off my life support and in the end, I had both of my legs amputated.”

Thankfully, Clare and her husband were also with Aleah Leigh, founder of Equality Model Management, when the alleged incident occurred, who was able to help them arrange for a proper taxi home.

Clare said: “I was quite glad that Aleah was with me on Saturday. Had it been just me and Chris, there would have been no way we would’ve got home so soon.

“My friends were having to calm me down. It was not a nice situation at all and it’s put me off going out in the future.

“This has happened to me before, where some Minicab drivers have perceived me as a drunk.

Clare’s friend Aleah Leigh, helped them arrange an Uber car through her app.

Aleah said: “When we told the driver that Clare couldn’t walk because she’s a double amputee, he said ‘f*** off’ and drove off.

“The poor girl was crying her eyes out. I was so upset for her.

“I’ve made numerous phone calls and I believe it is being investigated.

“We called a proper taxi firm and got her home eventually. The taxi driver was appalled by what had happened.

“When she is walking, she needs assistance from both sides. Because she also had a stroke, she speaks a little different too.

“It was just awful for her. She’d had such a good night and was happy – for it to end like that was a shame.”

An Uber spokesman said: “Uber does not tolerate any form of discrimination from riders or licensed drivers who use the app. We take any allegations of discriminatory behaviour very seriously.

“We’re currently investigating this incident and it is our policy to prevent drivers from using our app while we investigate serious incidents.”

Source : The Sun. 

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