Pearl Jam guitarist Josh Klinghoffer sued for manslaughter

Josh Klinghoffer, a guitarist who has worked with Pearl Jam and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, is facing charges for allegedly being involved in a traffic accident that killed a pedestrian.

Klinghoffer, who is currently on tour with Pearl Jam, is named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by the family of Israel Sanchez, a pedestrian who suffered blunt force trauma to the head in a traffic accident in Alhambra, California, on March 18 and died a few hours later.

Representatives for Klinghoffer and Pearl Jam did not immediately respond to Weekly entertainmentPlease leave a comment.

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

“Mr. Klinghoffer should be arrested and charged with manslaughter. We have video of him on his cell phone striking and killing Israel Sanchez, a loving father, in a crosswalk,” Nick Rowley, one of the prosecutors, said in a statement obtained by EW. “Israel Sanchez was on his way to the grocery store to make soup for his family and never returned home. He did everything right, watching for oncoming traffic and obeying pedestrian signs, but tragically, Mr. Klinghoffer, in a hurry and on the phone, fatally struck him from behind with a large SUV. The loss and grief the Sanchez family must now endure is immense. We will not stop until Mr. Sanchez and his family are held accountable and justice is served.”

Prosecutors allege that Klinghoffer was using his cellphone while driving his black 2022 GMC Yukon shortly before colliding with Sanchez. A video provided by prosecutors and reviewed by EW appears to show the driver using a smartphone shortly before the collision.

“My father was known as a great cook, the most talented in his family, the greatest grandfather, always full of love and joy,” plaintiff Ashley Sanchez said in a statement. “His smile was so contagious. His life was taken by the careless act of someone who wasn’t paying attention to where he was driving.”

Klinghoffer has toured with numerous well-known musicians over the years, including Beck, Jane’s Addiction, Sparks, Gnarls Barkley and PJ Harvey.