The family of a disabled man who died after tripping over a concrete wheel stop in the parking lot of a church near Koreatown is suing the house of worship.
The Oriental Mission Church on Western Avenue is the lone named defendant in the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit brought Jan. 10 by Young Sic Kim, the widow of Young Sam Oh, and their children, Choya Oh and Ji Hyun Oh. The suit alleges wrongful death, negligent infliction of emotional distress and civil code violations.
The family is seeking unspecified damages.
A woman who answered the phone at the church on Wednesday said the church has no liability for accidents in the parking lot.
According to the lawsuit, Oh was disabled and had trouble walking distances or standing for long periods of time. He and his wife went to the church, located northwest of Koreatown, for a service on Jan. 14, 2018, parked in a handicapped space and walked down a walking route designated for the benefit of disabled people.
However, when the couple returned to their car, vehicles were parked on both sides of their car and over the handicapped walking route, according to the suit, which says the church had allowed parking over the handicapped access route “in the interests of economy, convenience and/or maximizing church patronage, attendance offerings, pledges and/or donations…”
Unable to find room to enter on the driver’s side of his car even with the help of his wife, Oh went to the front passenger side and tried to open the door, according to the suit, which says he did not see a concrete wheel stop because it was covered by the adjacent parked car.
Oh tripped over the wheel stop, fell and later died from his injuries, according to the complaint, which says his wife suffered emotional distress from seeing him falling and being injured.
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