Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer has been sued for wrongful death following an incident in March in which he allegedly struck a pedestrian crossing the street in Alhambra.
The new lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court by Ashley Sanchez, the daughter of pedestrian Israel Sanchez, and obtained by The Times, alleges that on the afternoon of March 18, Klinghoffer, 44, was driving a black GMC Yukon at the corner of West Main Street and Meridian Avenue in Alhambra. Klinghoffer turned left at the intersection as Israel Sanchez, 47, walked in the marked crosswalk.
“The pedestrian was thrown and/or dragged across the asphalt, where he suffered blunt force trauma to the head and was left lying on the pavement until medical transport arrived,” the lawsuit states. He was pronounced dead at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena at 5:28 p.m.
“Video of the incident shows that defendant Josh Adam Klinghoffer did not brake or slow down until after he fatally struck Israel Sanchez, indicating that defendant was likely driving distracted,” the lawsuit continues. “This horrific outcome was foreseeable and demonstrates a willful disregard for the rights and safety of others.”
Klinghoffer's attorney, Andrew Brettler, said it was “a tragic accident.”
“After Josh struck this pedestrian at the intersection, he immediately pulled over, stopped the car, called 911 and waited until the police and ambulance arrived,” Brettler said in a statement to The Times. “He is obviously cooperating with police throughout the traffic investigation. This was purely a tragic accident.”
The lawsuit does not list the amount sought in damages.
Klinghoffer played and recorded with the Red Hot Chili Peppers from 2009 to 2019 and was inducted with the band into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. After leaving the band, he toured and recorded with Pearl Jam and Iggy Pop.
