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SCRANTON — A civil lawsuit filed against the ride share service Lyft Inc. and the driver related to a pedestrian crash that caused life changing and disabling injuries to a 15-year-old boy in Wilkes-Barre has settled for more than $26 million.
Yazmin M. Rohena, as guardianship of her brother, Jonatan Rosario Rohena, filed the suit through Hourigan, Kluger & Quinn, P.C., of Kingston, against Timothy W. Nevel and Lyft Inc. in Lackawanna County Court following the crash at South Wilkes-Barre Boulevard and East Northampton Street, Wilkes-Barre, on March 1, 2019.
According to a petition for compromise to settle the suit, Nevel, as a Lyft Inc. driver, was late picking up a fare and accelerated while driving south on South Wilkes-Barre Boulevard and passed through the intersection as the traffic light had already turned red.
At the same time, Jonatan Rohena was walking across South Wilkes-Barre Boulevard in the designated pedestrian crosswalk when he was struck by Nevel’s vehicle, a 2013 Ford Escape.
The crash caused Jonatan Rohena to strike his head off the windshield and was thrown 15 feet in the air and landed 35 feet from Nevel’s vehicle, the petition says.
As a result of being struck, Jonatan suffered lifelong disabling injuries and requires 24-hour care and supervision, according to the petition.
Nevel, of Birchwood Estates, Exeter, died Dec. 14, 2023.
The suit alleges Lyft Inc. continued to employ Nevel as a driver despite receiving numerous complaints against him from fares.
Yazmin Rohena’s attorneys, Joseph A. Quinn Jr., Michael A. Lombardo III, Nicole M. Santo, Kathleen Quinn DePillis, Brian Q. McDonnell and Christopher C. Quinn, filed the petition to settle the lawsuit against Lyft Inc.
The structured settlement seeks $20,150 each month for the lifetime of Jonatan Rosario Rohena guaranteed for 40 years with the potential to reach $47.7 million. Attorney and legal fees are estimated to be $10 million.