Community Corner
Family Sacrificed Lamb to Protect Man Before He Was Ejected onto LA Freeway Sign
A young man whose body hung above an LA freeway following a horrific crash had overcome health problems.
The family of a man whose body landed on a freeway sign during a car crash says they performed a lamb sacrifice for him days earlier for protection from harm, it was reported today.
Richard Pananian, 20, of Burbank had been battling serious health issues but overcame them, his cousin, Armen Kardashian, told the Los Angeles Times. He would not say what the health issues were. his family has since created a gofundme account that has raised more than $17,000 to offset his funeral and related costs.
Find out what's happening in Santa Monicawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
This time, his family wasn’t taking any chances and was determined to protect him, so they performed a matagh, or offering, on Oct. 25, The Times reported. Matagh is a tradition of the Armenian Church and often used to show appreciation to God for saving a life, asking for good health or for peace.
Pananian’s family hoped the offering of the lamb would provide some protection, his cousin said.
Find out what's happening in Santa Monicawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Five days later, last Friday, Pananian was headed to his new job at Glendale Collision Center. He was driving on southbound on the 5 Freeway just north of California 134 when his Ford Fiesta rear-ended a pickup truck and overturned, said California Highway Patrol Officer Edgar Figueroa. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the CHP.
Pananian was ejected, propelled upward, and he landed on the Colorado Street freeway sign. Before the crash, the CHP received a call at 7 a.m. about the driver of a Ford Fiesta traveling recklessly, The Times reported.
“As much fault as Richard had, which led to this disastrous event, the overall damage and grief it has caused his family is indescribable,” Kardashian wrote on the gofundme page.
City News Service
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.