The Miami doctor who attacked an Uber driver decided to publicly own up to her mistakes and apologize for her behavior.
It's no big secret that Uber drivers often have to deal with difficult passengers, drunk riders and aggressive clients. In some cases, the whole incident is caught on camera for everyone to see.
This is the case of Anjali Ramkinssoon, a fourth-year neurology resident who recently attacked an Uber driver. Another Uber customer had hailed the ride in question, but Ramkissoon wanted to take it. The driver refused because he was waiting for the person who hailed the ride, but the inebriated doctor started to assault the driver. The person who originally hailed the cab filmed the incident and put it on YouTube, where it went viral in no time.
Upon seeing the video of the drunken doctor attacking the Uber driver, many had strong reactions. Some said they wouldn't go near the institution where she practices, as long as she's still employed there, others said she should not practice medicine at all, others said that she should be arrested and charged with assault.
The driver did not press charges and handled the whole situation better than others would have, fending off the belligerent doctor's attack and asking bystanders to call 911.
After the YouTube video spread like wildfire, Ramkissoon went on an interview on ABC's Good Morning America to apologize for her actions and explain what happened.
"I see a person that is not me. I'm ashamed," she said, referring to the video that shows her assaulting the driver, trying to hit him in the groin and punch him in the head, and throwing papers out of the car and onto the sidewalk.
Ramkissoon says she still can't bring herself to watch the whole video, although people keep bringing it up and asking her what happened.
The doctor explains in the interview that she had a terrible day leading up to that Uber incident. Her father was admitted to the hospital, her 2-year relationship had just ended, so she went out for a few drinks. She says she drove there, but decided to go home in an Uber cab because she'd been drinking.
Ramkissoon admits that her bad day is no excuse for her aggressive behavior and is grateful that the driver did not press charges. She further adds that the viral video caused some cyber-bullying, and she even received messages saying that she should've been raped that night.
Unfortunately, Uber drivers face such scenarios quite often, especially when customers are drunk. Just recently, we reported that Uber was trying out new ways to distract drunk riders and keep them from attacking drivers. As part of a new experiment, some Uber drivers are now leaving Bop It toys in the back seat to keep angry and/or drunk passengers occupied.
It remains to be seen how this experiment will work. For now, viral videos of Uber passengers attacking drivers should help raise awareness and hopefully make people think twice before throwing a tantrum in an Uber cab.
Check out the video below to see how the Miami doctor assaulted an Uber driver, and how she feels about it after sobering up.
