Clarksburg man dead, struck by car, after Lyft driver orders him out of vehicle in Dewey Beach

A Clarksburg, Maryland, man is dead — struck by a passing car — after his Lyft driver stopped on Coastal Highway in Dewey Beach, Delaware, and ordered him and five others out of the vehicle early Sunday.

Delaware State Police identified the man who died as Sidney Wolf, 43, of Clarksburg.



The police said the Lyft driver picked up the man and his friends in Dewey Beach around 1:44 a.m. Sunday, and was taking them to Bethany Beach when the group and the driver got into an argument.

The driver stopped the vehicle in the middle of the left lane of Coastal Highway/Route 1 in the area of Anchors Way and demanded everybody get out.

As Wolf got out, he was struck by a 27-year-old driver of a Toyota Corolla who was changing lanes to avoid the stopped Lyft vehicle. The Corolla’s driver stopped at the accident scene, but the Lyft driver took off. The other passengers were not hurt.

“This is an extremely difficult time for our family … the level of shock and pain cannot be measured as we continue to grieve … we truly appreciate the outpouring of support we‘ve received and kindly request the family’s privacy is respected as we move through this process,” Wolf’s family said in a statement.

The police have not identified the Lyft driver.

“We are heartbroken by this incident. Our hearts are with Mr. Wolf’s loved ones during this incredibly difficult time, and we’ve reached out to the ride requester to offer our support. We have permanently removed the driver from the Lyft community and are in contact with law enforcement to assist with their investigation,” a Lyft spokesperson said in a statement.

Friends of Wolf’s family have established a fundraising page to help support his wife and daughters.

A reconstruction team continues to investigate this collision. Troopers are asking anyone who witnessed this collision to call 302-703-3264, or contact Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333.

Below is a map of where the collision occurred:

Colleen Kelleher

Colleen Kelleher is an award-winning journalist who has been with WTOP since 1996. Kelleher joined WTOP as the afternoon radio writer and night and weekend editor and made the move to WTOP.com in 2001. Now she works early mornings as the site's Senior Digital Editor.

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