Uber has been ordered to pay $40 million in connection with the 2023 death of 23-year-old Emily Normandin-Parker, who was struck and killed after being left along a Southern California freeway.

An arbitrator rejected Uber’s argument that it was only a technology platform and could not be held responsible for the driver’s actions.

The driver, Vu Tran, allegedly stopped at an unsafe location after a passenger vomited in his vehicle and ordered both women out before leaving them near multiple lanes of traffic.

The arbitrator found that Tran unnecessarily placed the passengers in danger, while Normandin-Parker’s family said they trusted Uber to get her home safely, Fox Business has reported.

Uber expressed sympathy for the family and said it has strengthened its safety policies, technology, and driver guidance to help prevent unsafe drop-offs.