Inset: Alejandro Covarrubias (GoFundMe). Background: Interstate 5, south of the Templin Highway in Castaic, California (Google Maps).
Authorities in California are searching for the driver responsible for hitting and killing a 22-year-old man who was changing a tire just steps away from his girlfriend.
The incident occurred around 11:20 p.m. on Friday on southbound Interstate 5, south of the Templin Highway in Castaic, about 60 miles north of Los Angeles, a press release from the California Highway Patrol said. A GoFundMe identified the victim as 22-year-old Alejandro Covarrubias.
Covarrubias” sister, Ana Iscoa, told local ABC affiliate KABC that he and his girlfriend suffered a flat so they pulled off to the side of the freeway and began changing the tire. As Covarrubias was changing the tire, a tractor-trailer slammed into both him and the vehicle. His girlfriend was just feet away and saw the horrific incident unfold.
“I feel so bad for her, but I’m also very grateful because he wasn’t alone when he passed,” Iscoa told the TV station. “He reached out his hand for her.”
The loss hits Iscoa especially hard as their mother died of a brain aneurysm just eight months prior. Iscoa said the family wants justice and wants the responsible driver apprehended.
“He was just a baby. He didn’t get to live his life, and he was so sweet,” she said in an interview with KABC.
She described her brother in the GoFundMe as a “joyful spirit.”
“My brother was only 22 years old, but in that short time, he touched so many lives,” she wrote. “He was a devoted brother, son, godfather, cousin, grandson, nephew, and boyfriend. As a caregiver, he dedicated himself to helping the elderly, always putting others before himself.”
Troopers reportedly said the tractor-trailer may have had an Amazon decal on it, but they were still trying to confirm those details.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the CHP Newhall Area Office at (661) 600-1600. People who want to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
