Uber driver is charged with killing girl in San Francisco last year

Syed Muzaffar, the driver of the Uber car allegedly involved in an accident leading to the death of a six-year-old girl in San Francisco last year, has been charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, according to media reports today.

The reports, from the San Francisco Chronicle and Bloomberg, both attribute the information to a representative of the San Francisco city and county district attorney.

The Union City, Calif., man was arrested yesterday, following the filing of a wrongful death lawsuit against him roughly a month after the incident.

Uber faces competition from Lyft and Sidecar, among others, in the business of having drivers use their cars to pick up passengers who summon rides via a mobile app. Separate from this case and others, San Francisco-based Uber has been dealing with issues related to rider data privacy and political challenges.

Following the accident on New Year’s Eve of 2013, Uber described Muzaffar as a “partner” and said that it would deactivate him in its network of drivers. In April, Uber clarified its policies for running background checks on drivers. But at least in one country, Uber’s background methods remain contentious.

Uber did not immediately respond to VentureBeat’s request for comment.