• 07
  • June
    2011

Losing a loved one unexpectedly can conjure up many different emotions. There is a lot of grief as family members try to understand why their loved one is no longer with them. Often there is the feeling of anger, wondering why the death occurred in the first place. If the accident was caused by someone else's negligence, there is also the desire to hold that individual accountable.

The parents of a young girl who was killed last year recently filed a wrongful death claim against California and the city of El Monte. She died after being hit by a truck while walking by herself on the road.

The lawsuit alleges that both the city police and California Highway Patrol failed to help the young girl. She had been at a party and left at around midnight. She was trying to get home but somehow got lost. She clearly did not know where she was or how to get home.

At one point she had asked two CHP officers for help getting home. They failed to do anything and instead called her a cab. She couldn't pay the fare, simply continuing on her way. She was still lost and wound up walking through a neighborhood known for its high crime rates, eventually ending up on the freeway.

Concerned drivers notified the local police and CHP that there was a teenager walking by herself down the freeway. But despite the calls, no one went to check on the girl. Perhaps if a patrol vehicle had been sent out, the girl would not have been struck by a passing vehicle.

While the details of why the family has filed the lawsuit are not given, it is likely that they seek to hold the two law enforcement agencies responsible for not helping their daughter. No doubt they are wondering if she would still be alive if the police officers had been more helpful when she had sought them out.

Source: EGP News online, "Monterey Park Parents Sue State Over Daughter's Death," 02 June 2011