California Personal Injury Lawyers Blog
Justin Lavelle, a 23 year old man from West Hollywood, was killed on the 110 Freeway in Long Beach, California, when he was struck by a hit and run driver. Details of the Long Beach wrongful death incident are not exactly clear at the moment, but Amy Lavelle, Justin’s mother, said Justin called her and told her he was taking a Lyft to Long Beach.
According to ABC 7 News, Justin then called his mom from the freeway and said that he had been pepper sprayed. Justin was screaming and the call eventually became disconnected. Some time thereafter, Justin was struck by another vehicle on the freeway and he passed away as a result of the impact.
It is currently unknown what role the Lyft driver played in this tragic wrongful death accident. There is a possibility that an altercation may have occurred with the the Lyft driver and the Lyft driver could have pepper sprayed Justin, causing him to exit the vehicle.
From a California personal injury standpoint, it will have to be investigated to see who shares in the responsibility for this Lyft car accident. It is possible that the hit and run car could not do anything to avoid striking Justin, but that does not excuse the driver from fleeing the scene of the incident. This exposes the driver to criminal liability.
If the Lyft driver did in fact pepper spray Justin and cause him to leave the vehicle on the freeway, it is likely that a claim will be made against Lyft.
Our personal injury lawyers are very familiar with Lyft car accident claims as well as Uber accident claims. The more of these vehicles are on the road, the more accidents they will be in. We wish our sincerest condolences to Amy Lavelle and the rest of Justin’s family for the tragically early loss.