Edmonton woman visiting Winnipeg upset with Unicity Taxi after concussion

It wasn't exactly the welcome 47-year-old Cheryl Watts expected on her first visit to Winnipeg.

Watts arrived Sunday night from Edmonton for a course with Investors Group. Watts is a First Nations ambassador for Canada for the Professional Women's Network. She has a Master's degree in leadership and was looking forward to a course that would further her skills as a financial advisor.  Unfortunately she can't remember part of it. 

Watts and her room mate called a Unicity Taxi cab to the Investors Group parking lot around Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. Her friend got in the back. Watts put her briefcase in and wasn't prepared for what happened next. 

RAW: Cheryl Watts talks about the injuries she suffered after erratic driving by a Unicity cabbie

9 years ago

Duration 1:33

Cheryl Watts says she was injured Tuesday when cab driver hit gas pedal before she was in the car.

"I put one foot in and the cab took off with the back door totally open. Here I am hopping along on one high heel. My roommate screams for her to stop and he slammed on the brakes. I went forward and smashed my head into the back door frame. I connected with the frame just below my left eye," she recalls. 

Watts says she got in but the driver didn't apologize or look back. 

"He didn't even notice my head was smashed. If he did know that, he didn't care that my face hit the back of the door frame.  If he did, he didn't care. I am very, very angry. Because in my world, this is so insane and so inconsiderate."

Evening deteriorated

Watts says she and her friend were dropped off at the Delta Hotel, after paying full fare. Her friend wrote down the cabbie's number and called in a complaint. Watts iced the bump on her face, thinking she was fine as they headed off to dinner. But those around her knew she wasn't.

"My friend was talking but I couldn't register what she was saying. I was out in space some where. It got worse throughout the evening. I got very dizzy. I could see people's mouths moving but I couldn't connect the words with what they were saying. Everything became a blur."

A colleague took Watts to hospital where she had a CT scan. The doctor told that person Watts had a concussion. She was given medication and taken back to her hotel room. 

Watts said she had trouble reading Thursday because the words would fade in and out. She kept getting headaches.

Unicity says cabbie 'made a mistake'

Watts says her friend who filed the first complaint was told a manager would call back by noon Wednesday. That didn't happen. 

"I would like a formal apology —​ something to acknowledge what happened, maybe a gift of some kind as compensation," she said.

She finally got a call back on Friday. She said the company apologized and offered to pay any expenses she incurred as a result of the mishap, but she's still considering legal action. 

"Totally not cool, with what happened with the cab company, but Investors Group was amazing. That part of my time here was awesome, even though I can't remember a part of it."

Unicity manager Sunny Dhir said the driver made a mistake. He said the company is looking into the incident.