Family of 4 People Killed in Eagle Rock Crash Settles Wrongful Death Suit for $10 Million

LOS ANGELES, CA — The heirs of a La Puente family who lost four members in a crash in 2012 on the Ventura (134) Freeway in Eagle Rock reached a $10 million settlement as trial was about to begin in their wrongful death suit against Caltrans and a tire retailer, a lawyer said Wednesday.

A jury had been impaneled in the case when lawyers told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mark Mooney on Tuesday that the case was resolved. Caltrans and Glen's Tires were the remaining defendants in the case.

Salvador Alvarado Ramirez, 40, was killed in the crash, along with his wife, 38-year-old Veronica Ramirez, and his daughter, 11-year-old Jackylin Ramirez, said Lt. Fred Corral of the Los Angeles County Coroner's Investigation Division.

Ramirez's father, 56-year-old Rafael Ramirez-Rodriguez, died later at a hospital, Corral said.

The family was heading home Aug. 12, 2012, from Fresno when a left tire blew about 6:50 p.m., causing their 1999 Ford Expedition to roll over the edge of the center divider of the freeway, falling 36 feet, authorities said. The accident occurred just west of Figueroa Street.

Two of the couple's other daughters, Lesley Ramirez and Jocelyn Ramirez, sustained serious injuries. They were among the plaintiffs in the suit filed in October 2013.

The complaint alleged the two rear tires on the vehicle were defective and blew out and that the roadway was defectively designed, causing the SUV to roll up on an embankment where there were no guardrails or beams.

Other defendants originally named in the lawsuit were the Ford Motor Co., BF Goodrich and Discount Tire Co.

The suit alleged Ford did not equip the SUV with a safe stability system.

City News Service