Brooke Pryor | ESPNReading: 3 min.
Dwayne Haskins was drugged the night of his death as part of an alleged “robbery and racketeering conspiracy” against the former NFL quarterback, according to a lawsuit filed by his family.
The lawsuit, filed last month in Broward County, Florida, lists four people, two restaurants, a golf driving range and a hotel as defendants in connection with the alleged conspiracy.
Haskins was fatally struck on April 9, 2022, by a dump truck while walking on a South Florida highway. He was 24 years old. The suit also lists the truck driver as a defendant, citing his “negligent acts” as the direct cause of Haskins’ death.
A statement released Monday by an attorney representing the Haskins family also mentioned the alleged conspiracy against Haskins, saying the lawsuit “is an important step in the process of uncovering the full truth about this tragedy.”
“Dwayne is believed to have been assaulted and drugged as part of a racketeering and robbery conspiracy,” attorney Rick Ellsley said in the statement. “In fact, his very expensive watch was stolen from him shortly before his death.”
Haskins’ widow, Kalabrya Haskins, is listed in the lawsuit as the plaintiff and personal representative of the Haskins estate. She is seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages related to Haskins’ death.
A toxicology report concluded that Haskins was legally drunk when he was struck by the truck on I-595 in Florida. Separate samples taken from his body had blood alcohol levels of .20 and .24, which are above Florida’s legal limit of .08.
According to the toxicology report, Haskins also tested positive for ketamine and norketamine, drugs that medical professionals use as anesthetics but are also known to be used recreationally.
The medical examiner ruled Haskins’ cause of death to be multiple blunt-force injuries and the manner of death an accident. No charges have been filed.
In the 911 crash audio, Kalabrya Haskins told the 911 dispatcher that her husband called her early on April 9 and told her he was going to get out of his rental car to get gas and would call her back when he got back. She called 911 after she received no response and requested that it be checked.
The final accident report released last year by the Florida Highway Patrol said Haskins was walking on the west side of I-595 when he entered the travel lanes and into the path of the dump truck, which was traveling in the center lane. . The left front end of the truck struck Haskins.
The lawsuit alleges that the driver of the dump truck was speeding, was driving recklessly, and had a load that exceeded the legal weight limit. The lawsuit also alleges negligence on the part of the individual owner of the 1994 Kenworth truck, the trucking company, the Florida Department of Transportation, the rental car company and the contractor that provides signage along I-595.
“The Florida Highway Patrol traffic homicide report shows that Dwayne was only a few feet from safely crossing the highway when he was struck and killed by an old dump truck,” Ellsley said in the statement. “…Many questions remain as to why the truck driver did not avoid striking Dwayne given the highly visible activity in the area prior to the impact and the fact that the other drivers did not strike Dwayne.”
