A guitarist for Pearl Jam and the Red Hot Chili Peppers is facing a lawsuit claiming wrongful death and negligence when he struck and killed a pedestrian in Alhambra in March.
Josh Klinghoffer was driving a GMC Yukon on March 18 when he fatally struck Israel Sanchez, according to a lawsuit filed by Sanchez’s family.
The suit adds that the family has “video evidence” showing Klinghoffer on his phone just before the collision.
“My dad was known for being a great chef, the most talented of his family, the greatest grandpa always full of love and joy,” Ashley Sanchez, Israel’s daughter, said in a news release announcing the suit. “His smile was so infectious. His life was taken by a careless act of a person who didn’t bother to look where he was driving.”
Andrew Brettler, Klinghoffer’s attorney, told TMZ that it was “a tragic accident.”
“After Josh struck this pedestrian in the intersection, he immediately pulled over, stopped the car, called 911 and waited until police and the ambulance arrived,” Brettler said. “Obviously, he’s cooperating with the police throughout the traffic investigation. This was purely a tragic accident.”
Klinghoffer, 44, became the youngest member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when he was inducted alongside the Red Hot Chili Peppers at the age of 32 in 2012.
Ilan Rubin of Nine Inch Nails surpassed that record in 2020.