Pearl Jam touring member and former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer was sued today (July 10) for wrongful death involving a March 18 incident in Alhambra, Ca.
Per the suit, Klinghoffer struck pedestrian Israel Sanchez with his GMC Yukon SUV while making a left turn at an intersection, allegedly while on his cell phone. Sanchez, 47, died hours later of blunt force trauma to the head.
No criminal charges have been filed in the case, which Klinghoffer attorney Andrew Brettler told TMZ 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. This was purely a tragic accident.”
In a statement, Sanchez’s family attorney said, “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. 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.”
Klinghoffer played lead guitar in the Chili Peppers from 2009 until 2019, after which he joined Pearl Jam as a touring multi-instrumentalist. He is currently in Europe with the group, who will perform tomorrow at Madrid’s Mad Cool Festival.
