CASTAIC, Calif. () — A 22-year-old man was struck and killed in a hit-and-run crash Friday after pulling over to fix a flat tire on the 5 Freeway in Castaic, authorities said.
The California Highway Patrol said the victim had stopped on the shoulder to repair a rear driver-side flat shortly after 11 p.m. when a tractor-trailer slammed into his vehicle, killing him.
Family members identified the victim as Alejandro Covarrubias.
“We all love him, we miss him… He didn’t deserve to die so young,” Covarrubias’ sister, Ana Iscoa, said through tears.
Iscoa has been overwhelmed by tragedy. She lost her mother suddenly to a brain aneurysm last year and now her younger brother was killed in what authorities are investigating as a hit-and-run.
“At least he has my mom to comfort him,” an emotional Iscoa told Eyewitness News.
Iscoa is seeking answers and accountability.
“He was 22 years old. He was just a baby. He didn’t get to live his life, and he was so sweet,” she said.
Investigators are working to identify the truck involved and looking into whether the big rig may have had Amazon markings.
“We did get that it might have had possible Amazon markings on the trailer,” CHP Officer Carlos Lopez said. “It is something we are looking into. Nothing has been confirmed as of yet.”
Covarrubias’ girlfriend was in the passenger seat at the time and witnessed the tragedy, something Iscoa said brings her both heartbreak and gratitude.
“I feel so bad for her, but I’m also very grateful because he wasn’t alone when he passed… He reached out his hand for her,” Iscoa said.
The CHP is asking anyone with information about the crash to contact investigators.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help the family with funeral costs.
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