California Mother Sues LAPD After Sheriff Causes Accident that Killed Her Two Sons
What started out as a day like any other ended with tragedy and despair. Maria Veronica Solis Munoz’s two sons had gone to school as usual and when their day there was completed, the three of them began walking back to their home. As the family made their way down the sidewalk in Boyle Heights, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy came crashing into them along with other pedestrians that had been walking close by. As a result of the impact, Munoz’s sons, seven-year-old Jose Luis Hernandez and nine-year-old Marcos Hernandez, were killed and several others sustained injuries.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the officer, who has been identified as Deputy Carrie Esmeralda Robles-Placencia, who hit the crowd of pedestrians, was being trained by Deputy Vincent Moran. A call came in saying that shots had been fired and that prompted the two officers to head toward the scene. In the process of getting there, however, Robles-Placencia allegedly failed to put on her lights and sirens, which is the procedure officers use when attempting to get to a call to warn other motorists that they are in a rush.
As Robles-Placencia attempted to get to the call, she ran a red light which caused her to crash into a Honda Accord that had been stopped at the intersection. The Accord was then pushed into a van that had been carrying two women and five children. The “sheriff’s SUV then drove over a curb, careened off the wall of a bank building, and struck pedestrians on the sidewalk,” two of those pedestrians being Munoz’s two sons.
LAPD Receives Notice the Department is Being Sued
After losing her kids to an accident that could have been prevented, Munoz decided to hire an attorney file a lawsuit against the Sheriff’s Department. The lawsuit alleged that the “deputy driving the vehicle acted recklessly and carelessly when she accelerated through a red light without activating her siren,” although the LAPD claimed that “the deputy’s lights were on, but the sirens were not” and that the vehicle had been traveling at speeds of less than 25 mph. However, a witness of the incident said she saw the sheriff’s SUV speeding down the roadway with no lights or sirens on.
Aside from the officer being accused of engaging in reckless behavior, she was also accused of “[failing] to follow emergency procedures” and her training officer, Moran, was accused of “failing to properly train the [officer].” The news outlet also highlighted that another victim of the incident also came forward and filed a claim against the department as well. The attorney representing that individual stated, “When entities fail to accept responsibility, we must use the tools of the law to hold them accountbale.” And that is exactly right.
No matter who a person might be, whether it is a police officer, doctor, or a businesswoman traveling to work, everyone is required to follow the rules and laws that are currently in effect in the state they reside in. And when they fail to follow a rule or law and attempt to avoid taking responsibility for their actions, there are certain “tools” that can be used such as filing a lawsuit against them to hold them accountbale for their behavior.
Therefore, if you were recently involved in a wreck or another type of accident in San Diego, CA and believe someone else was responsible for causing it, you too can take advantage of these tools with the help of one of our San Diego, CA personal injury attorneys. Whether the accident has left you injured or was responsible for taking the life of a loved one, our office is sure to help you seek justice and recover the compensation you deserve.
Visit or call Jeffrey E. Estes & Associates today at:
501 West Broadway, Suite 1650
San Diego, CA 92101
619-233-8021
