Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer sued over causing wrongful death
Josh Klinghoffer, the former lead guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, has been sued for wrongful death after allegedly running over a pedestrian near Los Angeles, California.
It’s claimed in the lawsuit that Klinghoffer been travelling through Alhambra, California, on March 18th and was allegedly seen to have been on his phone when he struck 47-year-old Israel Sanchez. After suffering blunt-force trauma to the head, Sanchez was taken to a hospital hours later, where he died from his injuries.
In a statement given by Sanchez’s attorney Nick Rowley, he argues that Klinghoffer should be brought up on charges for his death, stating, “Mr. Klinghoffer should be arrested and prosecuted for homicide. We have a video of him on his cell phone at the time he hit and killed Israel Sanchez, a loving father, in a crosswalk.”
The statement continued: “Israel Sanchez was on his way to the grocery store to make soup for his family and never came home. He did everything right, looking for oncoming traffic and abiding by pedestrian signage, but tragically Mr. Klinghoffer, in a rush and on his phone, hit him fatally from behind with a large SUV. The loss and grief that the Sanchez family now faces is immense. We will not stop until there is accountability and justice for Mr. Sanchez and his family.”
However, Klinghoffer’s attorney has stated that the entire incident was just an unfortunate accident, saying, “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. Obviously, he’s cooperating with the police throughout the traffic investigation.”
In reviewing the case, the courts have been looking over videos and still images from that day, which include footage of someone in a car distracted by their phone. Despite the tragic death, no arrests were made at the scene when Klinghoffer first called the police.
Nevertheless, Sanchez’s defence says they will continue until Klinghoffer is sentenced, noting to TMZ, “The loss and grief that the Sanchez family now faces is immense. We will not stop until there is accountability and justice for Mr. Sanchez and his family.”
Klinghoffer famously lent his skills to Red Hot Chili Peppers albums such as I’m With You and The Getaway, filling the shoes of former guitarist John Frusciante. When Frusciante rejoined the group, Klinghoffer was let go and became a touring guitarist for acts like Jane’s Addiction, playing alongside fellow former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Dave Navarro.
At the time of the accident, Klinghoffer’s latest venture was working as the touring guitarist for grunge rockers Pearl Jam. Outside of playing solos for songs like ‘Alive’ on the road, Klinghoffer had contributed guitar and keyboards to their latest album, Dark Matter, and had been given a writing credit on the song ‘Something Special’. He had also played on Eddie Vedder’s 2022 solo album Earthling.
This is a developing story.
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