A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Nathan Louis
Campbell, 38. Campbell is charged with murdering a honeymooning Italian woman, Alice Gruppioni, 32, and injuring more than a dozen others after he drove his car onto the Venice Boardwalk on a busy weekend in Summer 2013.
Gruppioni’s family is suing the city and county of Los Angeles saying they failed to provide adequate protection for pedestrians on the crowded Boardwalk.
“The City and County knew that upwards of 15 cars were driving on the Boardwalk every day — that is simply unacceptable from a public safety standpoint,” said Attorney Gregory L. Bentley.
Attorneys for the family state the boardwalk was in a “dangerous condition” when Gruppioni was fatally struck by Campbell’s car. She died later in hospital.
Since the tragedy the council erected plastic bollards and some more permanent signs as a deterrent for other drivers who may drive onto the boardwalk accidentally, or otherwise.