Family launches fundraiser for Perth Uber driver injured in violent passenger attack

A Perth father-of-two was allegedly attacked by passengers wielding a metal rod while he was working as a ride-share driver.

Uber driver Usman Malik, 33, is recovering at Royal Perth Hospital after his family claims the attack by a group of passengers caused him to spin out of control and crash into a tree then a wall at Harborne Street in Wembley, about 4am on August 1.

“Usman was brutally attacked by passengers [and was] assaulted with a metal rod inside his vehicle,” Malik’s wife, Sumaira Arshad, wrote on a GoFundMe page set up in his support.

Video after the crash shows Malik shouting for help. A neighbour told 9News Perth he saw a passenger trying to rip the Toyota station wagon’s door off. A group was then seen on CCTV walking from the crash uninjured before emergency services arrived.

Arshad said her husband suffered a broken jaw and blood clotting near one eye, causing blurry vision.

She said he was expected to undergo specialist surgery and faced a lengthy recovery. They share two children aged three and six.

Arshad said Malik, who was also studying, was unable to work due to his injuries.

“He works tirelessly as a ride-share driver to support his studies, care for our children while I attend university, and manage heavy responsibilities both in Australia and back home in Pakistan,” she said.