Brain Injury Doctor Warns Uber Ballot Measure Would “Be a Catastrophe” for Crash Victims in California
Contact: Alex Stack | alex@nejconsult.com
SACRAMENTO — A new public awareness campaign featuring a brain injury specialist and crash dummy simulations is sounding the alarm on Uber’s proposed ballot initiative, warning the proposal would make it harder for crash victims to access critical medical care after an accident.
One of the ads features Dr. Topher Stephenson, M.D. — who has treated thousands of patients injured in car crashes — pointing to a brain scan of a 34-year-old crash victim and delivering a stark warning: “I’ve treated thousands of patients involved in car crashes. Uber’s new ballot initiative would be a catastrophe for my patients. It would force them to pay more for their own medical care and almost eliminate their ability to hire a lawyer. Every car crash would be affected by this ballot initiative — just so Uber can make more money.”
A second ad uses a montage of crash test dummies in violent collisions to underscore what’s at stake. The voiceover warns: “Uber knows exactly what happens in a crash. So they’re pushing a ballot measure to dodge accountability and pay less. It makes medical care more expensive and harder to get, limits your choice of doctor, and takes away your right to hire an attorney — and not just in Uber crashes. Every crash victim in CA — you pay more, Uber profits. Uber must think we’re dummies. Don’t let Uber take you for a ride.”
Together, the ads are backed by a seven-figure media buy and will air in multiple markets across California this week.
Uber’s initiative would rewrite California’s constitution to insert corporate liability protections to protect their own profits — limiting what injured victims can recover for medical expenses and placing strict barriers on their ability to hire legal representation. No other state in the country has enacted such sweeping and permanent restrictions on accident victims’ rights.
Medical experts warn the measure could have devastating consequences for patients recovering from serious injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, where timely and specialized care is critical.
“Brain injuries don’t heal on a politician’s timeline or a corporation’s budget. My patients need months and often years of nuanced cognitive therapy, rehabilitation, and specialized care that Medicare and Medi-Cal do not cover. This initiative would cap what they can recover at rates that have nothing to do with the actual cost of getting better,” said Dr. Stephenson. “That’s not reform. Uber and the insurance companies that are supposed to pay for this care are trying to rewrite the rules, so they don’t have to. If this passes, thousands of crash victims every year will be left without the treatment they need to heal.”
The measure would apply broadly to all motor vehicle accidents — not just rideshare incidents — impacting drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and families across California.
The initiative would reduce Uber’s financial liability after crashes by capping medical recoveries and discouraging attorneys from taking on injury cases, shifting costs onto victims while protecting corporate profits.