KENOSHA, WI — A 60-year-old Navy veteran and Uber driver from Kenosha is facing more than $12,000 in medical bills and thousands in car repairs after a carjacking in Zion, Illinois, last weekend.
Paul Kloiber said he was driving for Uber on march 14 to make ends meet. He says that night, he needed one more ride to earn a bonus. When he arrived to pick up a verified rider, two males pulled him out of his car, assaulted him, and stole his vehicle.
"I’m 60 years old, and I got to tell you. It’s terrifying,” Kloiber said. “You’ve got two young guys, they’re arguing they’re screaming, one guy is saying he’s going to shoot me," Kloiber said.
Watch: Kenosha Uber driver faces thousands in medical bills after a carjacking; says Uber isn’t helping with costs
Police said the two individuals drove around northeastern Illinois for hours and evaded officers before being apprehended in Waukegan. Anais Butler, and a 17-year-old juvenile were charged with three felonies in relation to the carjacking.
Kloiber now walks with a cane in his right hand and wears his left hand in a sling. His car sustained dents, scratches, and lost parts, and the carjackers threw out his interior camera system.
"My hip is in a lot of pain, stairs are a nightmare for me," Kloiber said. "The elbow hurts if I extend it all the way. I think the medical bills are somewhere in excess of $12,000 right now.”
Kloiber thought Uber's commercial insurance, which is funded by a percentage of his rides, would help cover the costs.
However, Kloiber says that's not exactly the case. The company won't help with his medical bills, and emails Kloiber shared show Uber’s deductible through Liberty Mutual is $2,500 for the car damage. The policy states the deductible is owed by Kloiber and is "non-waivable and non-negotiable."
"They’re denying everything," Kloiber said. "You guys are culpable for this, you sent me there, you sent me into a situation that I thought was secure, that you did not properly verify, and just accept responsibility for what you did."
TMJ4 reached out to Uber multiple times in recent days to ask questions about the incident, but has not received a response.
Kloiber started a GoFundMe to help cover his numerous bills.
This story was reported on-air by Brendyn Jones and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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