Los Angeles will pay $38 million to settle a lawsuit over two people who were electrocuted by a downed power line in their backyard.
The Board of Commissioners of the Department of Water and Power (LADWP) agreed last month to settle a lawsuit relating to the death, in January 2021, of Ferdinand Tejada, 53, and his 20-year-old daughter, Janina Tejada. They died after coming into contact with a high voltage power line that fell in the backyard of their home in the area of panoramic city.
The lawsuit of two family members indicates that the city has not properly maintained its electrical equipment.
Tejeda’s wife, Julleth Tejada, said she witnessed the deaths of her husband and daughter. Estrelita Madrigal, Janina Tejada’s grandmother, ‘heard the explosion, smelled smoke and fire, heard screams and screams, and knew her granddaughter was being electrocuted,’ according to the cited lawsuit. by the Los Angeles Times.
In a statement on Monday, the DWP said it had failed to properly inspect and repair equipment and had “completely overhauled” its procedures.
“The loss their loved ones have suffered is unfathomable,” the statement said. “While nothing we do can bring them back, serious failures have contributed to this tragedy, and we are committed to reforming and significantly improving LADWP’s pole inspection and maintenance program.”
Public contact with downed power lines due to faulty or damaged power lines or old equipment in the city of Los Angeles remains extremely rare, according to the agency.
LADWP officials remind Angelenos never to touch a downed or dangling power line or anyone or anything in contact with it, to always assume a downed power line is live, and to report downed power lines immediately. by calling 911.