A Los Angeles woman struck by a car after being forced to step into a busy street because a homeless encampment blocked the sidewalk has slapped the city, county and state with a lawsuit.
Debra Todd, 64, was hit by a Nissan at the 101 Freeway overpass on Gower Street in Hollywood on Oct. 4, 2020, while attempting to deliver food and water to individuals living at the freeway encampment.
She sustained injuries to her head, hip, back, arm and leg, according to the lawsuit filed Monday at the Los Angeles Superior Court.
'Because of the encampment, you couldn't walk on the sidewalk. You had to walk on the street,' Todd told the L.A Times. 'There was no light or stop sign anywhere at Gower where I got hit.'
Debra Todd, 64, said she was hit by a Nissan at the 101 Freeway overpass on Gower Street in Hollywood on Oct. 4, 2020, while attempting to deliver food and water to individuals living at the freeway encampment. She is suing the City of Los Angeles for negligence
Todd's lawsuit states that the encampments at the 101 overpass on Gower Street create dangerous conditions for pedestrians and drivers, and accuses the city of allowing the encampments to remain for a 'substantial amount of time.'
Todd's lawsuit states that the encampments at the 101 overpass on Gower Street create dangerous conditions for pedestrians and drivers, and accuses the city of allowing the encampments to remain for a 'substantial amount of time.'
Her attorney, Alan Turlington, told the L.A Times his client suffered a mild traumatic brain injury, that could potentially leave her with a permanent disability and require future medical treatment.
The amount demanded for the injuries was not specified. Requests for comment from Todd's lawyer from DailyMail.com were not returned.
The lawsuit comes on the heels of L.A Mayor Eric Garcetti signing an order on July 2 that allows the City Council to remove homeless encampments that pose a public safety threat to residents.
Under the proposed law, no one is allowed to obstruct a street, sidewalk, or other public right-of-way 'by sitting, lying, or sleeping, or by storing, using, maintaining, or placing personal property, in a manner that impedes passage.'
While many approve of the new ordinance, others argue it would criminalize homelessness and result in the city to issuing citations to those who don't have the funds to pay.
Before enforcement of the law can begin, a council vote will be required.
California has an estimated 161,000 unhoused people, more than a quarter of the nationwide total of 580,000, according to the the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
On July 19, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a $12 billion Project Homekey plan to combat homelessness in the nation's most populous state, calling it
