Four women whose 83-year-old mother was run over by a flatbed truck in the parking lot of a West Covina shopping mall are suing the driver and the company that owns the vehicle.
Pegi Singleton, Tammy Vasquez, Debbie Pritchard and Shari Slenning filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court against Airgas USA LLC and driver Guillermo Guzman, alleging wrongful death and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
The sisters are seeking unspecified damages.
An Airgas representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Virginia Katherine Pritchard was struck by the truck about 1:05 p.m. March 31 in the parking lot at the east end of the Eastland Center, close to BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse and Chili’s Grill & Bar, police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the lawsuit, Guzman was driving in reverse and allegedly failed to see Pritchard walking behind him along with one of her daughters.
She was “found lying on her back on the ground between the right axle wheels of the (Airgas) vehicle,” the suit states. “Blood was coming from her nose and mouth.”
Guzman had gone to the shopping center to pick up empty cylinders from BJ’s, the suit states.
Debbie Pritchard suffered emotional distress from being present when her mother was run over and killed, according to the lawsuit.
–City News Service