Cory Hunter, 21, killed after Uber driver left him on side of highway: suit

A former high school football star was fatally struck by a car on a busy California highway after his Uber driver left him on the side of the road last month, according to a lawsuit filed by the man’s family against the ride sharing company.

Cory Hunter, 21, was in an Uber with five other passengers on highway 91 in Corona — about 50 miles Southeast of Los Angeles — on May 21 around 2:30 a.m. when the vehicle pulled over on the shoulder, the lawsuit, obtained by the Sacramento Bee, alleges.

Hunter had fallen asleep in the car and was told to step outside so another passenger could get out to vomit — but he never got back in the car, according to the lawsuit.

The driver sped off, “essentially leaving a completely disoriented individual on the side of a busy highway, knowingly endangering” the suit, filed by Hunter’s parents, says.

Shortly before 3 a.m., he was struck and killed by a Toyota Corolla while walking in the fast lane of the highway, California Highway Patrol told The Los Angeles Daily News.

The driver who hit him remained at the scene and was not investigated for a crime, CHP said.

Uber has declined to comment on the lawsuit, however the driver’s attorney, Theida Salazar, told the newspaper that the driver returned to the area to look for Hunter but was not able to find him.

His client was “shaken up” after learning that Hunter had died, but his attorney said he had done everything he could at the time.

“It’s a tragic incident, it’s a loss of life,” Salazar said. “My client is a father, he’s a brother, he’s a son. He’s passionate about his community, and he’s very compassionate about other people. It is not something he takes lightly.”

The lawsuit seeks compensatory damages of over $25,000.

Hunter’s former high school football coach remembered him in an Instagram post after his death as a “gifted player” who was “smart, tough and always gave his maximum effort” as a free safety. He was also his high school’s homecoming king.

“If you gave me a team of Cory Hunters, I would give you a Championship team, both on and off the field,” Norco High School football Coach Greg Johnson wrote.

In a heartbreaking statement provided to the outlet, Hunter’s sister said her brother was  her “reason for being happy.”

“Every time I would see him, everything felt warm and calm,” the statement says. “To know Cory was to love Cory. He was my safe space.”