Family blames Uber after 12-year-old rides alone to her suicide

The parents of a Florida 12-year-old who called an Uber to transport her to a secluded location where she then committed suicide are demanding changes at the company regarding minors.

At a press conference in an Orlando parking garage where their daughter's body was recovered, Lisha Chen and Ronald Diamond told reporters on Thursday that the company should have done more to prevent Benita "BB" Diamond from getting there in the middle of the night without her parents' knowledge, according to the Orlando Sentinel.



Benita reportedly downloaded Uber's app in January while her mother was asleep before hailing a car and riding to the closed parking garage, apparently completing the trip without question from the driver.

She paid for the ride using a gift card she got for Christmas.

Benita then jumped to her death from the parking garage, located behind Orlando's City Hall, according to the Sentinel. Her trip occurred despite Uber's guidelines that state drivers should check IDs for those they perceive to be underaged and to refuse service to unattended minors.

“As a driver-partner, you should decline the ride request if you believe the person requesting the ride is under 18," Uber's website reads. "When picking up riders, if you feel they are underage, you may request they provide a driver’s license or ID card for confirmation. If a rider is underage, please do not start the trip or allow them to ride.”

A spokesman for the company told a local news station that it "will take appropriate action" to ensure that Uber's driver-partners, who are classified as independent contractors, follow the company's guidelines.

The family has not filed a lawsuit and told reporters Thursday that they are interested in change at the company, not money.

“This will happen to another child or teenager if I don’t do anything right now, if I don’t make sure Uber, or Lyft or any share-ride company enforces their policy," Chen reportedly said. "They have a policy in place, but if they don’t enforce it, it’s useless.”