(코리아타운뉴스) Sunbathing at the Beach Prompts $1.7 Million Lawsuit After Lifeguard’s SUV Strikes

A woman in Los Angeles recently won a $1.7 million lawsuit against the county government after she was ran over by a lifeguard’s vehicle while sunbathing at a beach.

L.A. County’s board of supervisors announced Wednesday that it will pay Thomas Kim’s wife Lorae Bermudez $1.7 million in settlement. The county government further explained that Bermudez was struck by a lifeguard’s SUV on Sept. 15, 2014 at 4:20 p.m. while lying on the beach for a sunbath on a hot summer day.

The accident reportedly damaged Bermudez’s liver.

After two months since the accident, Bermudez and her husband filed a lawsuit claiming the county government’s lack of responsibility has even caused psychological damage. “The victim’s sufferings show that something similar can happen to anyone,” said Bermudez’s lawyer at the time.

Lifeguard Lidia Barillas, who ran over Bermudez, has already admitted that she failed to see the victim at the time of the accident. Barillas was reportedly driving at somewhere between two to four miles per hour with the siren on.


By Hyoung Jae Kim