The man at the wheel of a Jeep SUV involved in a horrific fatal San Francisco crash last month was a driver for the city’s on-demand valet parking startup Luxe, it has emerged. The accident on The Embarcadero at Bryant Street on April 27 killed Janet Gelow, 56, of Napa, and injured two other people.
The fatality came less than three weeks after Luxe on April 7 announced $50 million in new funding, with Hertz Global Holdings of rent-a-car fame as lead investor. “Luxe has grown 30 percent month-over-month since its inception in October 2014, and has seen 18x annual growth,” Luxe said in announcing the Series B funding. The startup has $75.5 million in total funding, according to Crunchbase.
A Luxe spokesman confirmed Tuesday that one of its valets was involved in the accident, and said it was cooperating with San Francisco police, but could not comment further because the incident is under investigation.
On Monday, news website CNET had reported that the Jeep driver was a Luxe employee.
Luxe says on its website that it puts valet prospects through a “rigorous” interview and training process. Valets must have clean driving records and pass criminal background and 50-state sex offender checks, the company says. Luxe says it has a zero-tolerance drug and alcohol policy.
The accident recalls another death involving a firm in the on-demand economy. In 2013, a 6-year-old girl was struck and killed in San Francisco by an Uber driver. Uber settled with Sofia Liu’s family for an undisclosed amount. Driver Syed Muzaffar, 57, was charged with vehicular manslaughter. Last month, his trial ended in a deadlocked jury, and the district attorney’s office said it would re-try him.
Police have issued no public reports on any results of their investigation into the accident involving the Luxe driver. Luxe mentioned in its funding announcement that it carries “an industry leading $5 million insurance policy.”
Photo: Wreckage of a BMW after a fatal collision in San Francisco involving a driver for city on-demand valet parking startup Luxe (San Francisco Fire Department via Twitter)
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