# Uber Driver Hits And Kills New York Pedestrian



## Hal Green (Sep 19, 2014)

http://nypost.com/2015/01/05/driver-who-fatally-struck-golf-instructor-worked-for-uber/










The scene where a golf trainer was struck and killed. Photo: Christopher Sadowski
The driver who fatally struck a rising-star golf instructor on the Upper East Side on Saturday worked for Uber - and was on his way to pick up a fare when the crash happened, The Post has learned.
Aliou Diallo, 45, was driving a black Mercedes SUV when he hit Wesley Mensing, 27, of Scotch Plains, NJ, on Saturday evening on East 62nd Street, authorities said. Mensing was holding hands with his girlfriend and crossing outside the sidewalk at the time. The girlfriend was hospitalized in stable condition.
Modal Trigger
Erin Sauchelli and Wesley Mensing
Before the collision, Diallo had made almost 1,300 trips with Uber. He has since been suspended.
Cops initially charged him with having a suspended license, but the DMV tossed the ticket after it
appeared to be a clerical error.
Diallo was affiliated with Uber's Schmecken base.
Mensing was named as one of the top young golf instructors in America by Golf Digest in November and gave lessons in Manhattan and New Jersey.
"Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the families and loved ones of those involved in this tragic accident," [URL='http://blog.uber.com/nyc-statement-1-15']said Uber in a statement. "We are providing the NYPD all information that can assist in their investigation."

http://gothamist.com/2015/01/06/unlicensed_driver_who_fatally_struc.php

Uber Driver Fatally Runs Over Man On UES









_ Wesley Mensing via LinkedIn_
The SUV driver who fatally struck 27-year-old Wesley Mensing on Saturday was affiliated with Uber, according to officials with the ride-hailing service.
Streetsblog reports that driver Aliou Diallo, who killed Mensing and injured girlfriend Erin Sauchelli while they crossed East 62nd Street at Lexington Avenue on Saturday evening, was an UberBLACK driver who operated out of the company's Schmecken base. Per a statement from Uber:
Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the families and loved ones of those involved in this tragic accident," Uber told us in a statement. "We are providing the NYPD all information that can assist in their investigation.
Here is what we know at this time:
The driver is affiliated with Uber NYC through our Schmecken base as an UberBLACK partner.
The driver is commercially licensed by the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) and holds a commercial insurance policy in line with TLC and NY DMV requirements. According to the TLC's data on license suspensions and revocations, the driver's licensing is valid and active.
The driver remained at the scene of the accident to assist authorities in their investigation. He was not charged with a criminal offense or taken into custody. As the investigation continues, the driver's access to the Uber platform has been suspended.
The driver had accepted a trip and was en route to pick up his customers at the time of the accident and he did not have any passengers in the car. He has completed 1,296 trips on the Uber platform and has a 4.86 out of 5 star rating.
Upon learning of the accident through media on January 3, 2015, Uber representatives immediately reached out to the NYPD to offer assistance.
Though Diallo was initially issued a ticket for driving without a license, the Post reports that this was a clerical error, and his ticket was dismissed yesterday. TLC spokesperson Allan Fromberg told us in a statement that his cabbie license "has been suspended, pending our review of the circumstances specific to the status of his NYS license."
Mensing was a professional golf instructor who resided in New Jersey. "He was just a class act," Scott Paris, director of golf at the Plainfield Country Club where Mensing worked, told the Daily News. "We're stunned. We're saddened. It's really tough for the whole Plainfield Country Club family." Sauchelli sustained a leg and head injury, and was listed in stable condition at New York-Presbyterian Hospital on Saturday
[/URL]


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## puber (Aug 31, 2014)

That poor guy looks like a lyft driver on the picture.
There is big money in golf and there is a one vacant spot open now.
If you are looking for a slightly used girlfriend, you can claim her at Presbyterian hospital.
Bring flowers


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## DjTim (Oct 18, 2014)

puber said:


> That poor guy looks like a lyft driver on the picture.
> Ther is big money in golf and there is a one vacant spot open now.
> If you are looking for a slightly used girlfriend, you can claim her at Presbyterian hospital.
> Bring flowers


I thought that was a Lyft picture too. I checked my picture out, and the leaves are different.


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## pako garcia (Oct 30, 2014)

Dont worrys travys would take care of you my dear comrade driver
Travys would send a army of hi profile lawyers to assist our comrade in this ordeal


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## puber (Aug 31, 2014)

People, use RainMax!
It's less then $10 and will last for a year


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## Long time Nyc cab driver (Dec 12, 2014)

I saw that on the TV news in NYC, they didn't say he was an uber driver on the news.
I suspected he was, only an unprofessional driver would do this. (Typical Uber driver )
And was he going 25 mph? 
African Immigrant , comes from a country where they don't even have cars, or electricity. SMH


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## Former Yellow Driver (Sep 5, 2014)

Long time Nyc cab driver said:


> I saw that on the TV news in NYC, they didn't say he was an uber driver on the news.
> I suspected he was, only an unprofessional driver would do this. (Typical Uber driver )
> And was he going 25 mph?
> African Immigrant , comes from a country where they don't even have cars, or electricity. SMH


But he has a 4.86 rating! Surely he must be great!


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## Long time Nyc cab driver (Dec 12, 2014)

Former Yellow Driver said:


> But he has a 4.86 rating! Surely he must be great!


Really, that's a joke. I'm sure he was going over the 25 mph speed limit. There's probably no skid marks for the police to find since the ground was wet.


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## Former Yellow Driver (Sep 5, 2014)

Long time Nyc cab driver said:


> Really, that's a joke. I'm sure he was going over the 25 mph speed limit. There's probably no skid marks for the police to find since the ground was wet.


I'm not sure how fast he was going or whether he was a great driver. I know three things.
1. Uber's driver rating system is worthless and doesn't reflect on the quality (or lack) of their drivers
2. The victim was jaywalking after dark in the rain.
3. The police did not ticket or detain the driver


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## Long time Nyc cab driver (Dec 12, 2014)

Former Yellow Driver said:


> I'm not sure how fast he was going or whether he was a great driver. I know three things.
> 1. Uber's driver rating system is worthless and doesn't reflect on the quality (or lack) of their drivers
> 2. The victim was jaywalking after dark in the rain.
> 3. The police did not ticket or detain the driver


The highway police where there out in force investigating the accident, doesn't mean he won't be charged with something later.
Most likely reckless driving.
A slap on the wrist.
And it doesn't matter if they were Jay walking, you're supposed to be in control of your vehicle.
And yes, the uber rating means nothing, he probably was in a big rush to get to the pickup in 2 minutes.


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## Lou W (Oct 26, 2014)

I have a son that age. I can't imagine getting news like that. What a heartbreaking story for all involved.


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## pako garcia (Oct 30, 2014)

Former Yellow Driver said:


> I'm not sure how fast he was going or whether he was a great driver. I know three things.
> 1. Uber's driver rating system is worthless and doesn't reflect on the quality (or lack) of their drivers
> 2. The victim was jaywalking after dark in the rain.
> 3. The police did not ticket or detain the driver


Exactly; people got to understand that we drive a little faster becouse our clients can get desperate and cancel us in the middle of our way and we dont want to missed the pleasure to serve to someone cheap, disgusted, frugal, arrogant, stupid, demanding, shameless as our classless pax
Besides we cant run the risk to be low rated nobody in travis team want to see ratings below 4.5
So please we implore to all the pedestrians out there be very careful cause trevis team is in bussiness


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## Long time Nyc cab driver (Dec 12, 2014)

http://www.streetsblog.org/2015/01/05/tlc-unlicensed-driver-who-killed-man-on-ues-works-for-uber/


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## Former Yellow Driver (Sep 5, 2014)

Long time Nyc cab driver said:


> ..doesn't mean he won't be charged with something later.
> Most likely reckless driving.
> ..he probably was in a big rush to get to the pickup in 2 minutes.


Lots of possiblys, probables and most likelys. Currently no charges. As far as keeping control of your car...we don't know that he wasn't. All we know right now is what has been reported. I'm willing to give the Fuber driver the benefit of the doubt until I see something concrete that says he was wrong. JMPO...


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## Casuale Haberdasher (Dec 7, 2014)

Long time Nyc cab driver said:


> http://www.streetsblog.org/2015/01/05/tlc-unlicensed-driver-who-killed-man-on-ues-works-for-uber/


POST # 13 / LT NYC CD: ... Thank you for the
hyperlinked article. There, but for the Grace
of God, goes the 60,000 new-in-2014 Uber
drivers. All involved deserve our prayers...
especially the victims and their families!


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## cybertec69 (Jul 23, 2014)

Hal Green said:


> http://nypost.com/2015/01/05/driver-who-fatally-struck-golf-instructor-worked-for-uber/
> 
> 
> 
> ...


So him and his girlfriend where Jay walking, I see this all day in the city, I call them people on a suicide mission, and who gives a **** that he was a golf instructor "another rich pampered socialite, same guy who would give you a 1 star rating after his $8 fair and no tip ", I feel for the poor uber driver making crap, and now having to deal with this. People here who don't work in nyc have no clue what drivers go thru with these idiots crossing in the middle of the street playing chicken.


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## Long time Nyc cab driver (Dec 12, 2014)

cybertec69 said:


> So him and his girlfriend where Jay walking, I see this all day in the city, I call them people on a suicide mission, and who gives a **** that he was a golf instructor "another rich pampered socialite, same guy who would give you a 1 star rating after his $8 fair and no tip ", I feel for the poor uber driver making crap, and now having to deal with this. People here who don't work in nyc have no clue what drivers go thru with these idiots crossing in the middle of the street playing chicken.


People staring at their cell phones walking in the middle of the street, citibike riders all over the place. 
But it doesn't mean that you can run them all over. 
I supposed you never Jay walked, or are never a pedestrian yourself?


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## cybertec69 (Jul 23, 2014)

Long time Nyc cab driver said:


> The highway police where there out in force investigating the accident, doesn't mean he won't be charged with something later.
> Most likely reckless driving.
> A slap on the wrist.
> And it doesn't matter if they were Jay walking, you're supposed to be in control of your vehicle.
> And yes, the uber rating means nothing, he probably was in a big rush to get to the pickup in 2 minutes.


You have no idea what it's like in the streets of nyc. I have passangers who's jaws drop when they see what these jaywalkers do on the streets of nyc, always telling me, omg, you have to deal with these nut jobs, especially at night wearing dark clothing and playing chicken in the middle of the road. This driver will not be charged with anything, and he should be working.


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## cybertec69 (Jul 23, 2014)

Long time Nyc cab driver said:


> People staring at their cell phones walking in the middle of the street, citibike riders all over the place.
> But it doesn't mean that you can run them all over.
> I supposed you never Jay walked, or are never a pedestrian yourself?


I work in nyc all day and night, I tell it like I see it, if I jaywalked and someone nails me, it's on me, not the driver, that's why there is sidewalks and pedestrian crossings, and the reason I and every other driver is not permitted to drive on the sidewalk.


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## UberXTampa (Nov 20, 2014)

This is proof that there are way too many Uber drivers out there!

there is not one hour we don't get a news story about yet another Uber Driver doing something wrong.


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## cybertec69 (Jul 23, 2014)

UberXTampa said:


> This is proof that there are way too many Uber drivers out there!
> 
> there is not one hour we don't get a news story about yet another Uber Driver doing something wrong.


The driver did NOTHING wrong. The jaywalker did not time his chicken run well enough. Sidewalk and pedestrian crossings are there for a reason, and the roads are built for cars, and for your information last year there was over 400 jaywalker fatalities in the city, the city actually started handing out jaywalking tickets to curtail this epidemic.


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## Long time Nyc cab driver (Dec 12, 2014)

cybertec69 said:


> The driver did NOTHING wrong. The jaywalker did not time his chicken run well enough. Sidewalk and pedestrian crossings are there for a reason, and the roads are built for cars, and for your information last year there was over 400 jaywalker fatalities in the city, the city actually started handing out jaywalking tickets to curtail this epidemic.


Jaywalking tickets? That was for like two days at 96 Street after the cab driver ran the kid over.
In California and Nevada the cops always give tickets for jaywalking, and outside of the strip in Vegas NOBODY jaywalks, even thug looking guys who are probably on parole.


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## cybertec69 (Jul 23, 2014)

Long time Nyc cab driver said:


> Jaywalking tickets? That was for like two days at 96 Street after the cab driver ran the kid over.
> In California and Nevada the cops always give tickets for jaywalking, and outside of the strip in Vegas NOBODY jaywalks, even thug looking guys who are probably on parole.


No it was not for two days, I don't feel for jaywalkers, they are taking huge risks, and to top it off, also causing major damage to the vehicle. So you are telling me you are driving up 6th Ave going the speed limit on the left lane, then putting your right hand signal to switch lanes, and that split second while you check your mirror on your right, this idiot decides to just go for it trying to go from the west side of the street to the east side of the street, and jumping in front of your car, let me know how fast you would be able to stop.


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

Hal Green said:


> http://nypost.com/2015/01/05/driver-who-fatally-struck-golf-instructor-worked-for-uber/
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This is terrible, of course. But why the sensationalist journalism surrounding Uber accidents? Around 30,000 people were killed in road traffic accidents last year. About the same number are going to be killed this year. People are going to die. Some of those deaths will be caused by drunk police officers. Some by stoned accountants. Some by sober stay at home moms, some by sober taxis and some by sober Uber drivers.

"Ooh look, there's been another Uber fatality". No shit, there will be.


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## cybertec69 (Jul 23, 2014)

puber said:


> People, use RainMax!
> It's less then $10 and will last for a year


I always do.


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## UberXTampa (Nov 20, 2014)

It is the same sensationalist journalism that blasted 100s of stories about a Tesla that was in an accident, that lost its tires, axels, landed on its base and battery pack burned but no one was dead in the accident. We always see many more cars burned down on the side of the highways. Noone makes news from them. Eventually Elon Musk had expressed his frustration by providing statistical evidence that the ratio of burned cars in the industry is higher than what Tesla had up until that moment.

Statistics is a *****. If used right it can explain many things better. If not, it can come back to haunt the abuser. I expect Uber to go out and explain the odds of any driver having the same accident versus a Uber driver having it. Maybe it is the same. There might not even be a news worthy situation other than the sad story of a young man dying tragically.


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## cybertec69 (Jul 23, 2014)

If he stayed on the sidewalk and used the pedestrian crossing when the crossing sign was lit up with the walk sign, this story would have never occurred. If you think this poor uber driver was out there trying to mow down a pedestrian, then I feel for you. I feel for this uber driver, not saying I don't feel for the dead young man, but if you are going to play chicken, you are taking a huge risk with your life.


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## amp man (Sep 26, 2014)

cybertec69 said:


> You have no idea what it's like in the streets of nyc. I have passangers who's jaws drop when they see what these jaywalkers do on the streets of nyc, always telling me, omg, you have to deal with these nut jobs, especially at night wearing dark clothing and playing chicken in the middle of the road. This driver will not be charged with anything, and he should be working.


Same in San Francisco. I also use the phrase "playing chicken." Damn, it mentally wears you out constantly looking out for, and avoiding pedestrians.


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## Driver8 (Jul 29, 2014)

Saw a stat last week that went like this: of fatal collisions with cars and peds, 34% of the time, it's a drunk ped. Drive through downtown Nashville on a Saturday night/Sunday afternoon and you'll see peds not only jaywalking, but going right into the cross walk, in spite of oncoming traffic having the green light.


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## cybertec69 (Jul 23, 2014)

amp man said:


> Same in San Francisco. I also use the phrase "playing chicken." Damn, it mentally wears you out constantly looking out for, and avoiding pedestrians.


If you think it's bad in the small city called SF, try it out sometime in nyc, with 8 million people playing dodge ball, and chicken run .


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## Uber Driver 007 (Jun 17, 2014)

Long time Nyc cab driver said:


> I saw that on the TV news in NYC, they didn't say he was an uber driver on the news.
> I suspected he was, only an unprofessional driver would do this. (Typical Uber driver )
> And was he going 25 mph?
> African Immigrant , comes from a country where they don't even have cars, or electricity. SMH


You know, I've come to respect your contributions here and haven't really minded anything you post. With that said, I feel your quoted post is way out of line. It's bad enough many people think 'cabbies are the worst / safety hazard' but to have a fellow driver write up his guilty verdict without knowing the circumstances of this incident is really pathetic. You drive in NYC don't you? You very well know bicyclists, predestrians, freakin' horse carriages and the buggys jump in front of you outta no where...and it's always twice the excitement when it's raining.


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## Chicago-uber (Jun 18, 2014)

I have to deal with these dumb pedestrians everyday. I had a couple close calls with the jaywalkers. In chicago they have these signs that say it's a state law to yield to idiots/pedestrians.


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## DjTim (Oct 18, 2014)

elelegido said:


> This is terrible, of course. But why the sensationalist journalism surrounding Uber accidents? Around 30,000 people were killed in road traffic accidents last year. About the same number are going to be killed this year. People are going to die. Some of those deaths will be caused by drunk police officers. Some by stoned accountants. Some by sober stay at home moms, some by sober taxis and some by sober Uber drivers.
> 
> "Ooh look, there's been another Uber fatality". No shit, there will be.


Really - even if this driver wasn't apart of Uber, it would have hit the news just because of the social standing of the pedestrian hit. This was like a nice warm pie and it got Alamode treatment because the driver was affiliated with Uber.


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## Long time Nyc cab driver (Dec 12, 2014)

http://www.nyc.gov/html/visionzero/pages/home/home.shtml


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

amp man said:


> Same in San Francisco. I also use the phrase "playing chicken." Damn, it mentally wears you out constantly looking out for, and avoiding pedestrians.


Yeah, I have driven in Mexico City, London, Paris, Madrid; all known for wacko driving styles but SF is the most stressful city I have ever driven in by far for precisely this reason. Idiots just step out in front of you with no regard for their own safety.


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## Long time Nyc cab driver (Dec 12, 2014)

elelegido said:


> Yeah, I have driven in Mexico City, London, Paris, Madrid; all known for wacko driving styles but SF is the most stressful city I have ever driven in by far for precisely this reason. Idiots just step out in front of you with no regard for their own safety.


Try driving in the Dominican Republic, Mexico City must be hell.
Traffic in the youtube videos I've seen in India is insane.


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

Long time Nyc cab driver said:


> Try driving in the Dominican Republic, Mexico City must be hell.
> Traffic in the youtube videos I've seen in India is insane.


Actually, Mexico City wasn't too bad. You see very few accidents. There, the driving population expects everyone else to drive like an idiot, which they do, and people make allowances accordingly. For example, everyone knows that people run red lights after 10pm or so; therefore a green light for you at night does not mean go, it means go if nobody is shooting their red.


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## Long time Nyc cab driver (Dec 12, 2014)

elelegido said:


> Actually, Mexico City wasn't too bad. You see very few accidents. There, the driving population expects everyone else to drive like an idiot, which they do, and people make allowances accordingly. For example, everyone knows that people run red lights after 10pm or so; therefore a green light for you at night does not mean go, it means go if nobody is shooting their red.


If you stop for a red after 10 PM you get robbed ? In the Dominican Republic, some roads at night they put a cable across the road and rob you.


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## RideshareGuru (Nov 17, 2014)

Quick note on anyone who would jump to say that Uber isn't safe because of this incident. The guy was an Uber SUV driver, meaning that he carried his own (or a 3rd party company's) commercial insurance and he was licensed and certified by the NYC TLC board (as are all NYC Uber drivers), so regulation or no, Uber or no, this still happened.


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

Long time Nyc cab driver said:


> If you stop for a red after 10 PM you get robbed ? In the Dominican Republic, some roads at night they put a cable across the road and rob you.


It happens, yes. There are frequent stories of robberies and kidnappings in the papers, and shootings at intersections where the mark tried to escape.

Mexico City used to have a law that police were not allowed to stop female drivers at night because of the risk of sexual assault.


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## Rubyson&sme (Dec 1, 2014)

Former Yellow Driver said:


> I'm not sure how fast he was going or whether he was a great driver. I know three things.
> 1. Uber's driver rating system is worthless and doesn't reflect on the quality (or lack) of their drivers
> 2. The victim was jaywalking after dark in the rain.
> 3. The police did not ticket or detain the driver


That is what I would like to see clarified as well. Was the couple crossing in the middle of the block or in a marked crosswalk? Did the driver have the right of way and a green light in that intersection that the picture seems to indicate he had just gone thru. It appears to be a one way street with the driver proceeding all the way over on the left side lane of the apparent one way street. This needs to have a story written that it was most likely the young couples own fault that it happened. It's illegal to jaywalk in NYC isn't it? I'm sure that is.

This was a sad an unfortunate tragedy that this driver will have to live with for the rest of his life, and it was I'm sure, not his fault.


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## DriverJ (Sep 1, 2014)

Hal Green said:


> Our thoughts and deepest sympathies


What no 'prayers' this time? Come on Uber, your go-to statement is 'Our thoughts and prayers....' You'd better get it remembered. I have a feeling you're gonna be saying it a lot.

Charlie don't surf, and Uber don't pray.


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## amp man (Sep 26, 2014)

cybertec69 said:


> If you think it's bad in the small city called SF, try it out sometime in nyc, with 8 million people playing dodge ball, and chicken run .


Small, but crowded and busy. I bow to you NYC'ers though. By days end, I probably would be in a fetal position sucking my thumb.


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

DriverJ said:


> What no 'prayers' this time? Come on Uber, your go-to statement is 'Our thoughts and prayers....' You'd better get it remembered. I have a feeling you're gonna be saying it a lot.
> 
> Charlie don't surf, and Uber don't pray.


They are saving their prayers to use in Spain, France, South Korea, New Delhi and oh yea, China today. Uber needs the prayers more than the rape and assault victims.


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