A Lyft ride turned fatal for a 43-year-old man after an argument broke out between the driver and the group he was with in the middle of a highway in Delaware.
The victim and his five friends had booked the ride-sharing service to pick them up from Dewey Beach at around 1.44am local time on Sunday.
A few minutes into the ride on the Coast Highway, an argument broke out between the group and the driver.
The Lyft operator terminated the ride and stopped the vehicle, possibly a white Honda Pilot, in the middle of the southbound left lane and asked the passengers to leave, said the police.
As the passengers were stepping out of the vehicle, a 2016 Toyota Corolla southbound on the highway tried to change lanes to avoid striking the Lyft car’s rear.
While the 27-year-old man driving the Corolla changed lanes, he failed to see the 43-year-old standing on the roadway after just exiting the Lyft vehicle, and struck him, the Delaware police said.
The Corolla immediately pulled over after the crash, but the Lyft driver fled the scene with his vehicle, according to authorities.
The victim, a resident of Clarksburg, was pronounced dead at the scene and his identification is pending notification to the next of kin.
The five other passengers survived the incident without any injuries.
Following the collision, investigators closed the road for nearly four hours to conduct their probe. “The operator or the Lyft vehicle has not been identified yet and remains under investigation,” police said.