Wrongful Death Claims Filed Against University And Officer

A 23-year-old female student at the University of Southern California was killed last December in a tragic car accident. The young student, who wanted to be a mental health counselor, was turning into the USC campus in Los Angeles when her car was struck by a speeding police cruiser that was traveling at almost triple the speed limit.

At the time of the crash, the officer was allegedly traveling at 69 mph through the intersection and had his gas pedal fully engaged. Furthermore, he had not turned on his emergency sirens and lights. The officer was racing to investigate complaints of a “stranger” reportedly in one of the university’s parking garages at the time he t-boned the woman.

The collision pushed the woman’s car approximately 40 feet and caused her to suffer fatal injuries, which claimed her life the following day. The 37-year-old male public safety officer who was driving the vehicle that struck the woman has since been charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter by Los Angeles prosecutors.

Recently, the parents of the deceased student filed a wrongful death lawsuit against USC and the driver who struck their daughter. If successful, a wrongful death lawsuit against an at-fault driver — or against another at-fault party in a car crash — could bring family members money to compensate for the loss of their loved one. Financial compensation in such cases might include money as compensation for lost family income, lost inheritance, lost companionship, pain and suffering, punitive damages and more.

Source: Los Angeles Times, “A car crash at USC left a student dead and a campus officer charged with manslaughter,” Matt Hamilton, Sep. 21, 2016