Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer has been sued after fatally striking a pedestrian with his SUV. He allegedly was driving while distracted, not seeing the person he killed, with the deceased’s family now filing a lawsuit against the musician for wrongful death and negligence.
YouTuber runs over pedestrian while livestreaming.
The lawsuit filing drafted by the family’s attorney claims Klinghoffer was using his phone at the time of the accident. Footage of the crash shared by KTLA 5, which cuts off before impact, shows the pedestrian appear to be crossing the street in a crosswalk. Klinghoffer’s SUV is turning left and veers right toward the man on foot.
What’s more, the family’s attorney claims to have proof Klinghoffer was on his phone at the time of the crash. He goes on to explain the musician got away with that violation simply because of his fame and financial clout.
Even though the incident in question happened back in March in Alhambra, California, it was kept out of the press until the lawsuit was filed recently. But now the genie is out of the bottle and it’s not clear what consequences might be in the future.
Currently, Klinghoffer is touring with Pearl Jam.
The guitarist’s attorney provided a statement about the incident to KTLA 5, calling the crash “a tragic accident”
We don’t know what evidence the family’s attorney has, so we couldn’t even begin to weigh in on this lawsuit. What we do know is any accident which results in death is a tragedy, whether someone did something negligent or not. We hope no matter the outcome of the legal battle, the victim’s loved ones can find a way to move forward.
Driving distracted can lead to serious, sometimes fatal consequences. This is why we’re big advocates of people putting their phone down, not fiddling with their infotainment screen, and just driving their car.
Image via KTLA 5/YouTube
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