Family of Highland Park Man Who Fell off Bridge onto Freeway Sues City

LOS ANGELES, CA - The mother of a young man killed last year after he fell from a bridge and onto the Pasadena (110) Freeway, where he was hit by a car, is suing the state, the city of Los Angeles and the owners of the vehicle, alleging their negligence all contributed to the death.

Eva Alicia Zatarian, the mother of 22-year-old Armando Sahagun of Highland Park, filed the lawsuit Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court. The decedent's son, Matthew Mondo Sahagun-Zendejas, was 2 years old when his father died. The boy also is a plaintiff and his interests are represented by his mother, Kimberly Zendejas.

The suit seeks unspecified damages. A representative for the state attorney general's office did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment.

Sahagun fell off the Pasadena Avenue Bridge and onto the freeway in Cypress Park at about 7:45 p.m. last July 18, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. He was then struck by a car owned by Saul Morales and Yessica Feria and driven at the time by Morales, the suit states.

Morales, who was traumatized by the incident, stopped and called police, the LAPD said previously.

The suit alleges that the state and city are liable because the bridge lacked state-of-the-art traffic engineering safety measures that could have reduced hazards confronting pedestrians. The complaint provides no specifics other than to say there was inadequate lighting.

The alleged deficiencies could have been detected with regular inspections, according to the complaint.

The suit further alleges that Morales was driving negligently when his car struck Sahagun, who worked at Dodger Stadium.

City News Service