Exclusive: Sister says carjacking left Uber Eats driver in 'really bad shape'

A 64-year-old Uber Eats driver who was seriously hurt in a carjacking in Westport is in "really bad shape," according to the woman's sister, Mary Sheridan. Sheridan has spent every day at Norwalk Hospital since her sister was rushed there over the weekend.

Marissa Alter

Mar 10, 2022, 10:55 PM

Updated 1,005 days ago

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A 64-year-old Uber Eats driver who was seriously hurt in a carjacking in Westport is in "really bad shape," according to the woman's sister, Mary Sheridan. Sheridan has spent every day at Norwalk Hospital since her sister was rushed there over the weekend.
"Doing Uber Eats every night, she loved it," said Sheridan. "She never ever ever imagined that she would pick up a bag, in five seconds turn around and have the experience she had."
Westport police said around 7 p.m. Saturday, the victim went into Golden Pizza to grab an order and left her car running out front. When she saw a man get into it, she tried to stop him and ended up in the intensive care unit with brain bleeds.
"She was hit on her head, so she is very confused, and her brain is swollen. That will probably be the most difficult recuperation," Sheridan told News 12.
She said her sister also has fractures in one of her arms and hands, along with a hip injury that's left her unable to walk. She needs to be transferred to a rehabilitation center, but Sheridan said that's been difficult because her sister doesn't have health insurance.
"They think the recovery time for the fractured bones will be six-eight weeks, but if we can't get her into a good rehab center, she'll be in chronic pain for the rest of her life. She really needs intensive rehab for her brain too so that it gets back to normal, which she's not at all right now," Sheridan said.
She explained working for Uber Eats was her sister's sole source of income. "She'd come upon really hard times, and especially during COVID, it was kind of making ends meet," Sheridan said. She contacted the Uber Eats claims department to see about workers' compensation for her sister but hasn't gotten answers yet.
The road to recovery is expected to be long and expensive, but Sheridan's sister is getting some help from her community. Westport resident Danielle Dobin started a GoFundMe campaign, despite not knowing the victim. Dobin wrote, "Please help this hard-working member of our community and her family as she recovers from this vicious assault."
"She just out of the blue did that!" Sheridan said in amazement.
More than $29,000 has been donated so far.
"I'm just so thankful. I don't want to cry, but I'm just so thankful," Sheridan said tearing up. She said the senior center has offered up wheelchairs and Westport police check in with her daily.
"My sister keeps saying in her confusion, 'I can't believe this community! All these people did this for me?' So, it's a little glimmer of hope and happiness in this dark, terrible tragedy--it really is for her," said Sheridan.
Police arrested two juveniles and 18-year-old Giovanni Abreu, of New Haven, in connection to the carjacking and assault following a chase on I-95 Saturday evening. They are still investigating the incident and continue to search for the victim's car and the man who drove off in it.