Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

La Jolla crosswalk horror story

No warning lights results in broken bones, amputations, lawsuit

Intersection of La Jolla Boulevard and Westbourne Street
Intersection of La Jolla Boulevard and Westbourne Street

A New Jersey man on vacation in San Diego who was hit by a truck while using a crosswalk in La Jolla is suing the City of San Diego.

Attorneys for Santo Bencivenni, 72, filed a lawsuit in state court on January 13 seeking damages for the February 11, 2016, incident.

On that day, Bencivenni was crossing the street at a lighted crosswalk at the intersection of La Jolla Boulevard and Westbourne Street. At the time of the lawsuit, unbeknownst to Bencivenni, the crosswalk lights were not functioning. While crossing the street, a truck traveling southbound on La Jolla Boulevard struck Bencivenni, severely injuring him. The crosswalk, according to an article in the La Jolla Light, had been a concern of residents for some time. During one public meeting a resident called the intersection a “horror story."

Sponsored
Sponsored

According to a post on crowd-funding website gofundme.com, Bencivenni suffered a broken pelvis, femur, ten broken ribs, as well as a mild brain injury. As a result of his injuries and treatment, doctors amputated eight of his fingers as well as both feet.

Bencivenni submitted a claim, with damages estimated at $25 million, to San Diego's Risk Management Department in August 2016. The claim was denied shortly after, resulting in the new lawsuit.

"[The] City of San Diego knew, or should have known, that pedestrians crossing in that crosswalk were in danger of cross traffic from drivers traveling along La Jolla Boulevard at the intersection, who if not appropriately warned of pedestrians, would be hindered in their ability to stop, thereby causing a dangerous condition on public property," reads the lawsuit.

Bencivenni's complaint is currently the second lawsuit filed by a tourist who was struck while crossing a San Diego intersection. In March 2015, a family was crossing a street in Point Loma when a vehicle struck and killed their seven-month-old daughter and severely injuring the father, John Aavang. Aavang is now suing the City of San Diego, the driver, as well as a nearby homeowners' association for failing to maintain surrounding trees. According to public records obtained by the Reader, residents had complained of the dangerous intersection to the city and then-councilmember Kevin Faulconer years before the accident occurred. A trial is scheduled for March 2017.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

20 Best Online Casinos USA For Real Money (2024 List)

USA Online Casinos: Top 20 Online Casino Sites of 2024
Next Article

Reader Music Issue short takes

Obervatory's mosh pit, frenetic Rafael Payare, Lemonhead chaos, bleedforthescene, Coronado Tasting Room
Intersection of La Jolla Boulevard and Westbourne Street
Intersection of La Jolla Boulevard and Westbourne Street

A New Jersey man on vacation in San Diego who was hit by a truck while using a crosswalk in La Jolla is suing the City of San Diego.

Attorneys for Santo Bencivenni, 72, filed a lawsuit in state court on January 13 seeking damages for the February 11, 2016, incident.

On that day, Bencivenni was crossing the street at a lighted crosswalk at the intersection of La Jolla Boulevard and Westbourne Street. At the time of the lawsuit, unbeknownst to Bencivenni, the crosswalk lights were not functioning. While crossing the street, a truck traveling southbound on La Jolla Boulevard struck Bencivenni, severely injuring him. The crosswalk, according to an article in the La Jolla Light, had been a concern of residents for some time. During one public meeting a resident called the intersection a “horror story."

Sponsored
Sponsored

According to a post on crowd-funding website gofundme.com, Bencivenni suffered a broken pelvis, femur, ten broken ribs, as well as a mild brain injury. As a result of his injuries and treatment, doctors amputated eight of his fingers as well as both feet.

Bencivenni submitted a claim, with damages estimated at $25 million, to San Diego's Risk Management Department in August 2016. The claim was denied shortly after, resulting in the new lawsuit.

"[The] City of San Diego knew, or should have known, that pedestrians crossing in that crosswalk were in danger of cross traffic from drivers traveling along La Jolla Boulevard at the intersection, who if not appropriately warned of pedestrians, would be hindered in their ability to stop, thereby causing a dangerous condition on public property," reads the lawsuit.

Bencivenni's complaint is currently the second lawsuit filed by a tourist who was struck while crossing a San Diego intersection. In March 2015, a family was crossing a street in Point Loma when a vehicle struck and killed their seven-month-old daughter and severely injuring the father, John Aavang. Aavang is now suing the City of San Diego, the driver, as well as a nearby homeowners' association for failing to maintain surrounding trees. According to public records obtained by the Reader, residents had complained of the dangerous intersection to the city and then-councilmember Kevin Faulconer years before the accident occurred. A trial is scheduled for March 2017.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Didja know I did the first American feature on Jimi Hendrix?

Richard Meltzer goes through the Germs, Blue Oyster Cult, Ray Charles, Elvis, Lavender Hill Mob
Next Article

San Diego Reader 2024 Music & Arts Issue

Favorite fakers: Baby Bushka, Fleetwood Max, Electric Waste Band, Oceans, Geezer – plus upcoming tribute schedule
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.