After the death anniversary of the late Dwayne Haskins, Jr., his family and lawyer are taking action against those involved.
According to Ian Rapoport, Dwayne’s lawyer filed a lawsuit one year after a vehicle tragically hit and killed the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback in Florida.
In April 2022, the late NFL player was in the southern state to train with his teammates for their upcoming season. On the morning of April 9, Dwayne was stranded on the side of the highway and needed to get to a gas station — his wife, Kalabrya Haskins, informed a 911 operator. Kalabrya was initially on the phone with Dwayne before the 24-year-old told her he would call her back once he returned to his car. Kalabrya became concerned when she didn’t hear back from him.
At the time, reports shared that a truck fatally struck Dwayne on I-595 in Broward County. But now, more details on the incident have emerged in light of the lawsuit.
According to Rick Ellsley, Dwayne’s lawyer, a Florida Highway Patrol Traffic Homicide report revealed the former Ohio State player was only feet away from safely making it to his car when an old dump truck hit and killed him. “The truck was going faster than the speed limit, carrying excessive cargo, had brake system problems, and was traveling on low tread tires with separated sidewalls,” a press release stated.
The front left side of the truck, directly in front of where the driver sat behind the steering wheel, reportedly struck Dwayne. When questioned by authorities, the trucker said he saw the late athlete “ahead of his vehicle” in the center lane. The statement acknowledged that several cars on the highway near the truck saw Dwayne and avoided hitting him. It raised a question for Ellsley as to why others made sure not to hit the 24-year-old, but the truck driver didn’t.
In the press release, the lawyer also alleged Dwayne might have been “targeted” and “drugged” in a blackmail and robbery conspiracy attempt. To corroborate his statement, he shared someone stole Dwayne’s expensive watch from him before his death.
“The filing of this lawsuit is an important step in the process of uncovering the complete truth about this tragedy,” the release continued. “The civil justice system allows for subpoenas to be issued for critical documents and for sworn testimony to be taken of people who have knowledge about the events leading up to Dwayne’s death.”
Read the full press release below: