Josh Klinghoffer, a guitarist who has played with Pearl Jam, Jane’s Addiction, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, is being sued for wrongful death and negligence for a fatal accident involving a pedestrian.
A lawsuit filed today in Los Angeles Superior Court alleges Klinghoffer was involved in a fatal vehicular and pedestrian accident in Alhambra, California, that resulted in the death of 47-year-old Israel Sanchez.
Klinghoffer is accused of being distracted by a cell phone while behind the wheel of an SUV.
Klinghoffer is being sued by Ashley Sanchez, the only child of Israel Sanchez.
Sanchez was allegedly on his way to a grocery store on March 18, according to the lawsuit. As he was walking in a crosswalk, the suit says Klinghofferstruc him with his vehicle.
Sanchez was walking within a marked crosswalk and halfway across when Klinghoffer, who was driving a 2022 GMC Yukon, made a left turn and struck Sanchez in the back, the suit said.
Klinghoffer’s attorney, Andrew Brettler, said in a statement to NBC News on Wednesday his client was involved in a “tragic accident.”
“After the car struck the pedestrian, 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,” Brettler said.
Sanchez family attorney Nick Rowley said in a statement that Klinghoffer “should be arrested and prosecuted for homicide.”
Sanchez was pronounced dead at a hospital about 2 and ½ hours after the collision, according to the lawsuit.
Ashley Sanchez seeks a jury trial and damages.
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