Country singer Rich O'Toole sues Uber for crash

Texas country singer Rich O'Toole was in a serious car accident in February. Texas country singer Rich O'Toole was in a serious car accident in February. Photo: JSU Management Photo: JSU Management Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Country singer Rich O'Toole sues Uber for crash 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

Houston country songwriter and singer Rich O'Toole, who was seriously injured in a crash while taking an Uber in Amarillo, has sued Uber and its driver for negligence after the car in which he was riding in was hit by another vehicle.

The February accident prevented O'Toole from headlining the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's "World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest," the following week, according to O'Toole's lawsuit filed this week in state district court in Harris County. It also kept him from starting his cross-country tour to roll out his sixth album, "American Kid."

O'Toole took a Uber to dinner before a performance he was scheduled to give in Amarillo. The Uber driver got lost, stopped his vehicle in the middle of the highway, and got hit from behind, according to the law suit. O'Toole broke his neck, underwent emergency surgery and narrowly escaped permanent paralysis.

‪Signing & personalizing 300 CDs in a Neck Brace. That's what Texas Country Music does!!! ‬#AmericanKid A post shared by Rich O'Toole (@richotoole) on Mar 12, 2017 at 5:52pm PDT

Uber maintains that the driver was an independent contractor, according to the law suit, but O'Toole argued the driver was an employee of Uber. The company sets the fare prices, retains control over customer contact information and determines dress and other working rules, according to the lawsuit.

Uber did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

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Next album cover? A post shared by Rich O'Toole (@richotoole) on Mar 10, 2017 at 9:28am PST

O'Toole, described in the lawsuit as a "proud Aggie" is seeking more than $1 million from Uber, the Uber driver and the driver of the other vehicle to compensate him for his medical expenses and loss of income from pre-booked performances he had to cancel after the accident, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit noted that O'Toole has 17 Top Ten hits on Texas radio and more than 1 million plays on the streaming service Spotify.

You can watch one of his music videos above.