Christmas Day began in the worst possible way for Shawn Sauvarin and his girlfriend, when they ordered an Uber home from a friend’s Christmas Eve party in Melbourne’s northwest.
As they arrived at home, the 33-year-old says their driver accused him of spilling a drink in his car.
He denied it but things escalated, with Mr Sauvarin allegedly stabbed by the driver.
“He just grabbed a knife from the driver's seat, and started slashing towards my face. I put my arms up to protect myself, and he sliced my elbow all the way to the tricep,” Mr Sauvarin told SBS News.
"I thought I was going to die, I thought he was going to kill me. I don't even understand why."
The construction worker was left with deep knife wounds, requiring several stitches. But the mental trauma it's left on him and his girlfriend will be harder to heal.
“This guy's changed my whole life in 30 seconds. I can't stop thinking about it. My girlfriend's so shaken, she can't sleep, she's jumping at every noise,” he said.
Police arrested a 26-year-old man not long after, and charged him with intentionally causing injury, recklessly causing injury and assault with weapon.
In a statement to SBS News, an Uber spokesperson said the company strongly condemned any criminal or violent activity.
“When we became aware of this report, we removed the driver-partner's access to the app and worked actively with police to support their investigation,” the spokesperson said.
“We are continually looking for ways to improve safety before, during and after every ride."
Uber drivers undergo criminal history checks before being allowed to use the app. The company's guidelines ban drivers from carrying weapons, and anyone who violates the policy may lose access to Uber.
But Mr Sauvarin says that's not good enough.
“I was supposed to get home safe,” he said.
The driver will front court in September.
