Agree with everything you said as possibilities. There are clear proofs of concept that an accident can be caused by a compromised electronics, and multiple ways to do it. We can come up with endless possibilities, but I was trying to establish likely vs unlikely.
In his particular case, an attacker would require Hastings to be traveling at a high rate of speed to have a high probability of a fatal injury. Highland Ave is a 35 mph surface street. So the attacker would either need to speed the car up, or have him already traveling at a high rate of speed. If it's the former, Hastings could have just used the brakes. If it's the latter, there are lots of reasons why he could crash on a two-lane city street lined with trees and parked cars at 4 am. As you point out, it's possible a sophisticated attack could have also provided all kinds of distractions to prevent him from braking effectively.
I think the most likely explanation was that he was speeding and lost control, but feel free to disagree.
In his particular case, an attacker would require Hastings to be traveling at a high rate of speed to have a high probability of a fatal injury. Highland Ave is a 35 mph surface street. So the attacker would either need to speed the car up, or have him already traveling at a high rate of speed. If it's the former, Hastings could have just used the brakes. If it's the latter, there are lots of reasons why he could crash on a two-lane city street lined with trees and parked cars at 4 am. As you point out, it's possible a sophisticated attack could have also provided all kinds of distractions to prevent him from braking effectively.
I think the most likely explanation was that he was speeding and lost control, but feel free to disagree.