The widow and three children of an ice cream vendor who was struck by a pickup truck as he pushed a cart in Sun Valley nearly two years ago filed a wrongful death lawsuit Thursday against the driver.
The Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit against William Matchie — who could not immediately be reached for comment — was filed on behalf of Josefina Moreno, widow of Carlos Gomez; her son, Rene Gomez; and her two daughters, Liliana and Karla Gomez.
The family seeks unspecified damages.
Gomez was struck at 7:25 p.m. on Feb. 11, 2013, by a Ford Ranger headed east on Tuxford Street near Glenoaks Boulevard. Lt. David Ferry of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Valley Traffic Division said Gomez had been crossing to the north side of Tuxford Street.
The lawsuit alleges Matchie was driving at a high rate of speed and was inattentive. Gomez was propelled 50 feet after being hit by the truck, the suit states. But Ferry said at the time of the crash that Gomez “was outside the crosswalk, illegally in the roadway pushing a concession cart.”
Matchie stopped to render aid and was not cited or arrested, Ferry said.
— City News Service