Josh Klinghoffer faces wrongful death lawsuit

Klinghoffer ran over a pedestrian with his SUV in March

July 10, 2024 | 3:02 p.m. ET

Josh Klinghoffer, former guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and current touring member of Pearl Jam, has been sued for involuntary manslaughter and negligence after hitting a pedestrian with his SUV in Los Angeles in March.

The lawsuit was first reported by TMZ, which confirmed through Klinghoffer’s attorney that the guitarist was indeed behind the wheel when the accident occurred on March 18, 2024. A video obtained by TMZ shows Klinghoffer’s black GMC Yukon turning left at a crosswalk in Alhambra, California, when it struck the victim, identified as 47-year-old Israel Sanchez.

The video shows the car running over Sanchez and dragging him along. Klinghoffer then gets out of his vehicle, walks over to the body and gets back into his car. Sanchez suffered blunt force trauma to the head and succumbed to his injuries about two hours later.

The lawsuit alleges that Klinghoffer did not apply his brakes at all and was “distracted” behind the wheel. The LAPD has not yet made any arrests in the case, but the victim’s family is suing Klinghoffer for negligence and wrongful death and is seeking damages from him.

Andrew Brettler, Klinghoffer’s attorney, told TMZ: “It was a tragic accident. After Josh struck this pedestrian in the intersection, he immediately pulled over, stopped, called 911 and waited for police and ambulances to arrive. He is obviously cooperating with police throughout the traffic investigation. This was a purely tragic accident.”

Klinghoffer played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers from 2009 to 2019, replacing longtime guitarist John Frusciante. Since then, he has been a touring member with Jane’s Addiction and Pearl Jam and is currently on tour with Pearl Jam.