Support truly
independent journalism
Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer is facing a wrongful death lawsuit for allegedly hitting and killing a pedestrian back in March in Los Angeles, California.
In the lawsuit filed on Wednesday (July 10) and obtained by The Independent, Klinghoffer, 44, is accused of hitting a 47-year-old man, Israel Sanchez, as he was walking in a crosswalk in Alhambra, California.
Sanchez’s successor, Ashley Sanchez, is named as the plaintiff.
“The pedestrian was thrown and/or dragged across the asphalt where he sustained blunt force trauma to the head, and lay on the pavement until medical transport arrived. He succumbed to his blunt force injuries later that day, when he was pronounced dead at Huntington Hospital,” the filing reads.
Klinghoffer, who was allegedly driving a black 2022 GMC Yukon, was using his phone at the time of the incident, the lawsuit claims.
It adds that Klinghoffer was not arrested and “went off on tour with his band after the incident. He has never contacted the family. He has shown no remorse for his behavior.”
In alleged footage of the incident, published by TMZ, a black SUV can be seen approaching an intersection where an individual is already halfway across the street. The SUV then makes a left turn, colliding with the individual before slowing down, stopping and pulling over, with the driver getting out to check on the person lying in the street.
“This was a tragic accident,” Klinghoffer’s attorney, Andrew Brettler, told The Independent in a statement. “After which, Josh immediately pulled over, stopped the vehicle, called 911, and waited until police and the ambulance arrived. He is fully cooperating with the traffic investigation.”
“Mr Klinghoffer should be arrested and prosecuted for homicide. We have a video of him on his cell phone at the time he hit and killed Israel Sanchez, a loving father, in a crosswalk,” the plaintiff’s attorney, Nick Rowley, said in a statement, according to Variety.
“Israel Sanchez was on his way to the grocery store to make soup for his family and never came home. He did everything right, looking for oncoming traffic and abiding by pedestrian signage, but tragically Mr Klinghoffer, in a rush and on his phone, hit him fatally from behind with a large SUV. The loss and grief that the Sanchez family now faces is immense. We will not stop until there is accountability and justice for Mr Sanchez and his family.”
Ashley Sanchez is demanding a trial jury as well as monetary relief to cover medical expenses, legal fees and additional damages, including pre-death pain and suffering.
Klinghoffer was a guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers from 2009 to 2019. He has also played in rock bands Jane’s Addiction and Pearl Jam, the latter of which he is currently touring with.
