What started out as a ride home via a popular ride-hailing service turned deadly early Sunday morning.
At 1:44 a.m. Sunday, a group of six people hired a driver through the Lyft app to take them from Dewey Beach to Bethany Beach, according to Delaware State Police. A vehicle, thought to be a white Honda Pilot, arrived and picked up all six passengers, police said.
As they traveled south on Coastal Highway, a disagreement occurred between the group and the Lyft driver, according to police. The Lyft driver then ended the ride, stopped in the middle of the southbound left lane and demanded all six passengers get out of the vehicle, police said.
At this time, a 27-year-old man driving a 2016 Toyota Corolla south on Coastal Highway saw the Lyft vehicle stopped in the travel lane. He changed lanes to avoid hitting the rear of the Lyft vehicle, police said, but failed to see the pedestrian who had “exited the right rear passenger seat and was standing in the roadway,” resulting in the pedestrian being hit.
After the impact, the Corolla driver pulled to the side of the road and the Lyft driver drove off, according to police.
The victim, a 43-year-old man from Clarksburg, Maryland, was pronounced dead at the scene. Further information regarding his identification is pending the notification of his next of kin.
The other five passengers were not injured after exiting the Lyft vehicle, according to police.
Neither the Lyft driver nor the vehicle in which the group was riding has been identified. Police said this incident remains under investigation.
Contact reporter Anitra Johnson at ajohnson@delawareonline.com or 302-379-5786 with tips and story ideas. Become a subscriber to access more stories and the best in local reporting.
