Relatives of a 59-year-old woman and her 18-month-old granddaughter who were killed in a hit-run accident last October in a crosswalk in San Gabriel, are suing that city, as well as Los Angeles County, the state of California and the convicted driver.
The filing comes five months after Dennis Anthony Perez, 48, was sentenced in Alhambra Superior Court to 12 years, four months in prison. He pleaded guilty to two felony counts of vehicular manslaughter and admitted to allegations that he fled the scene of the Oct. 26, 2018, crash in a crosswalk at Del Mar Avenue and Live Oak Street.
Meiyu Li was in a crosswalk, pushing her granddaughter, Paisley Chen, when they were struck by Perez’s pickup, which sped away, police said shortly after the collision.
Paramedics rushed the San Gabriel residents to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead.
The Los Angeles Superior Court suit, filed Monday, alleges wrongful death and negligence, and seeks unspecified damages. The plaintiffs are Boyue Yang, the husband of Li and grandfather of Paisley; Jianming Chen, Paisley’s father; and Xiushan Yang, Li’s daughter and Paisley’s mother. All are from San Gabriel.
The complaint alleges liability on the part of the government agencies because of alleged dangerous condition of the crosswalk, which the suit calls a “trap for pedestrians” due to its poor markings, insufficient lighting and the lack of steps taken to discourage excessive speed by drivers.
“Also, the lights that were working lacked proper and adequate illumination for the subject crosswalk,” according to a claim the family filed prior to bringing the lawsuit. “In addition, there were no warning signs leading up to the subject crosswalk to provide notice to drivers on Del Mar Avenue that they were approaching a crosswalk that was difficult, if not impossible, to view until it was too late to stop or slow down.”
The suit alleges Perez was negligent by failing to yield to the pedestrians in a crosswalk.
San Gabriel City Attorney Keith Lemeiux said he had no comment on the suit.
An anonymous tip led detectives to the suspect vehicle and ultimately to Perez, according to police, who said that when officers located the pickup, it matched one in a video submitted by a witness.
Officers arrested Perez after he was discharged from a local medical facility.
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