In a tragic turn of events, a promising young man lost his life in a horrific road accident involving a suspected drunk driver. The incident occurred while he was returning home from his newly acquired security job at a World Cup match in California.
Aaron Avery, 22, had just completed his second shift at SoFi Stadium on June 15, working the World Cup game between Iran and New Zealand. As Avery made his way home around 10:30 p.m., a speeding white Tesla struck him in Los Angeles, a devastating blow his family recounts with heavy hearts.
The collision resulted in Avery being dragged for nearly half a block. His aunt, Norm Quinn, shared with KTLA 5 that the young man was about to reach the curb when tragedy befell him.
Though the driver involved in the accident has not been publicly named, authorities detained him at the scene following the crash, as confirmed by Aaron’s family.
Sadly, the cherished son and brother endured multiple critical injuries, with severe trauma to his brain, according to his grieving relatives.
Avery was placed on life support, but died from his injuries the following day at the hospital.
His devastated sister, Monique Yates, told CBS News she was told that the driver claimed he didn’t see Avery before he crashed into him that night.
Avery’s organs to be donated
‘You say you didn’t see my brother walking because he had on all black,’ Yates told the outlet. ‘It don’t matter what color he had on. That can’t be an excuse on why you hit somebody.’
Quinn added: ‘From what I was told, it was a strong possibility that speed played a part in it, and the guy was under the influence.’
Avery was an organ donor and had his organs harvested on Saturday, his heartbroken aunt revealed.
‘He will be donating his lungs, his heart, his kidneys, his spleen and his liver. He gets to save another life,’ Quinn said.
Blanca Cohen with OneLegacy, a non-profit organization that supports organ, tissue and eye donations, said that Avery could potentially save eight lives.
‘There’s over 100,000 folks across the nation, nearly 19,000 Californians, who are waiting for a life-saving organ,’ Cohen told ABC 7.
‘Unfortunately, all too many folks pass away each day waiting for that gift.’
Despite losing her nephew, Quinn said she is happy to hear that he will live on through others.
Family seeks justice
‘I know this is our final goodbye but at the same time, I know that something good is going to come out of it. They’ll have a part of him and maybe he can turn them into gamers. Haha,’ she told ABC 7.
As the family continued to come to terms with his sudden death, Quinn said she just hopes the driver is held accountable for his actions.
‘This is a very devastating moment for my family. He was my sister’s baby. It’s very devastating,’ she said.
Quinn continued: ‘I just hope my nephew gets justice. He has to take responsibility for his actions. He doesn’t understand what he’s done to my family.’
A GoFundMe page has since been launched to help the grieving family during this challenging time.
‘Aaron was a caring and dedicated son who loved helping his community. His involvement with the World Cup was a source of pride for him and his family,’ the fundraiser read.
As of Monday morning, more than $10,000 has been raised to support them.
The Daily Mail contacted the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) for comment.