Parents of Montebello man killed on motorcycle settle with LA County
Lxandro Villar
MONTEBELLO – The parents of a 20-year-old man killed when his motorcycle struck a metal chain stretched across a paved pathway near the Lincoln Dam in Montebello in 2018 have reached a tentative settlement in their lawsuit against Los Angeles County.
Lawyers for Alexandro Villaras and Diana Alvarez, the father and mother of the late Lxandro Villar of Montebello, filed court papers on Thursday with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Gail Killefer stating that a "conditional" accord had been reached. No terms were revealed and an attorney for the plaintiffs could not be immediately reached regarding whether the settlement is subject to approval by the Board of Supervisors.
The plaintiffs alleged in the suit brought in October 2019 that a dangerous condition of public property existed because there were no lights, reflectors or other warnings of the chain's presence. Los Angeles County owned the property where the accident occurred and knew of the dangerous condition created by the chain, but failed to warn visitors like the plaintiffs' son, according to the suit.
The plaintiffs also sued the city of Montebello, which was later dismissed as a defendant.
Lawyers for Los Angeles County argued in their court papers that the county was immune from liability under the state Government Code because the accident occurred on a trail rather than a roadway.
According to the suit, Villar's motorcycle hit the chain about 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 26, 2018, as he was approaching the parking lot of the Lincoln Dam. He fell off the motorcycle and his chest hit the pavement.
The large gate that normally was closed across the pathway was broken and the chain was put there in its place, according to the lawsuit.
Villar was taken to Beverly Hospital in Montebello, where doctors were unable to save him. A copy of the coroner's report attached to the lawsuit stated the cause of death was blunt torso trauma, and a copy of a page of Villar's medical records showed he was not wearing a helmet when the accident occurred.