PARENTS APPEAL TOSSING OF SUIT OVER GIRL’S DEATH AFTER LYFT RIDE
Lawyers for the parents of 13-year-old Karenine Saint Louis, killed in a July crash, have appealed a judge’s ruling that Lyft can’t be held responsible for driving her to a friend’s house. According to police reports and court documents, early July 9, the honor student stuffed her bed with pillows and sneaked out of her sub- urban Boynton Beach home. A Lyft driver took her to the Greenacres home of Jimmy Aguirre, then 17, whom she’d met online the previous day. Hours later, Aguirre discovered his parents’ Lyft balance was too low, and, although his learners permit requires that someone who’s at least 21 years old be in the front seat, the girl persuaded him to get her home before her mother, who was working a night shift, found out she was gone.
On the way home, Agu- irre lost control of his pickup in a driving rain on a road west of Lantana. The truck slammed into two trees, killing Karenine. Aguirre was not charged criminally but did receive four traffic citations.
On July 17, lawyers for the girl’s parents sued both Agu
irre and Lyft. They argued Karenine never would have died had the Lyft driver not picked her up in violation of a company policy barring transport of minors traveling alone.
This month, Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Donald W. Hafele dismissed the counts against Lyft and its driver, saying they could not be responsible for something that happened hours later.
Lawyers for the girl’s fam- ily filed the appeal Thursday with the 4th District Court of Appeal.