Seizuring Uber driver strikes pedestrian

An Uber driver suffered an apparent seizure and struck a pedestrian with his car in San Francisco’s Polk Gulch neighborhood on Saturday night, police said today.

The crash was reported at 9:58 p.m. Saturday near Polk and Geary streets. The 56-year-old driver was taking passengers in his 2012 Mazda when he suffered the seizure, causing him to lose control of the vehicle, which hit three parked cars and then a man on the sidewalk, police spokeswoman Sgt. Danielle Newman said.

The pedestrian suffered a laceration to his head and was taken to San Francisco General Hospital. He is expected to survive, Newman said.

The driver was also hospitalized following his seizure and is expected to survive, Newman said.

She said his license will be suspended until he can provide proof to the state Department of Motor Vehicles that his medical condition no longer impedes his ability to drive.

The passengers inside the Mazda at the time of the crash were not injured, Newman said.

Uber and other ridesharing companies have come under criticism in San Francisco regarding their regulations for drivers’ insurance and other issues. The policies faced increased scrutiny after an Uber driver struck and killed a 6-year-old girl on Polk Street last New Year’s Eve.

Officials at Uber were not immediately available this afternoon to comment on Saturday’s crash.

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