Kristy Ortiz says she needed her jaw wired shut after the incident on New Year's Eve.
A California woman who says an Uber driver broke her jaw during an early morning confrontation on New Year’s Day is now speaking out about the ordeal.
Read: Woman Claims Uber Driver Broke Her Jaw
Kristy Ortiz says she had to have her jaw wired shut after the alleged incident and told INSIDE EDITION: “I saw a pool of blood just around me.”
Ortiz said she was in the Uber car on the way home from a New Year’s Eve party. She says she and another passenger, who she didn't know, exchanged words because Ortiz wanted to play music.
That, she says, is when the driver stepped in.
“He pulled over and asked me to get out of the car,” she claimed.
Ortiz, who was riding in the front as another passenger was in the back, recorded part of the confrontation. She says the driver slapped her cellphone out of her hand.
The driver then climbed out of the car and came around to the passenger side and allegedly attacked Ortiz. The alleged assault was not caught on camera.
“He hit me and I fell to the ground and then he disappeared,” she said.
Ortiz also said he hit her with a closed fist. She says after the Uber driver punched her in the jaw then got back into his car and drove off, leaving her bleeding and alone.
“It was pretty desolate. There was no traffic, no pedestrians,” she said.
Read: Safety Concerns As Uber Drivers Text, Browse the Internet From Behind The Wheel
She says surgeons had to wire her jaw and insert a metal plate which she says “stays in for the rest of my life.”
The reportedly says he is the victim and has filed a complaint with police against Ortiz for battery.
In a statement, Uber says the driver has been "permanently deactivated” from driving for the company.
Watch: Taco Bell Exec Makes Tearful Apology to Uber Driver He Attacked
