Officials at UC Irvine say they've suspended Sigma Pi and Alpha Epsilon Pi following the Orange County, California pedestrian accident death of 18-year-old Raphael Nunez on May 7. Friends say the college student had been drinking before the deadly Costa Mesa traffic accident on I-405. Until an investigation into his death is complete, the two fraternities will be barred from holding any events. Nunez was a member of Sigma Pi.
Police are trying to determine why the teenager was walking across I-405 that night. Friends who were with him earlier that night aren't even sure how he got to that area of the freeway, near Bristol street in Costa Mea.
Nunez and others had taken an Alpha Epsilon Pi-chartered bus and were reportedly drinking alcohol from a water bottle while they road to the Shark Club, a Costa Mesa nightclub that on Thursday night entertains patrons ages 18 and over.
He died on May 7 after two cars in the northbound lanes hit him. One of the drivers that hit Nunez, a 22-year-old Santa Ana motorist, says he unsuccessfully tried to swerve his vehicle so he wouldn't hit Nunez, who was running across the freeway. Nunez was then hit by another motor vehicle.
UC Irvine officials are investigating why there was alcohol on the bus.
California Wrongful Death
If someone you loved died in a tragic accident that you believe would not have occurred if another party hadn't acted negligently, carelessly, or recklessly, you may have grounds for filing an Orange County, California wrongful death lawsuit. A wrongful death complaint allows you to obtain compensation for the pain and suffering and losses you have experienced because your loved one has been lost. Barring certain exceptions, you have two years to file your California wrongful death suit.
Depending on the circumstances surrounding your immediate family member's death, you may be able to seek California wrongful death damages for loss of future wages, loss of benefits, general damages, medical costs, loss of support, loss of companionship, funeral expenses, loss of inheritance, punitive damages, mental pain, and emotional pain and suffering.
Services for UCI student killed on I-405 to be held Friday, MSNBC, May 14, 2009
Friends: UCI student drinking before killed on I-405, OC Register, May 12, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Wrongful Death, Justia
Contact our Costa Mesa wrongful death lawyers and ask for your free consultation with Howard Law, LLP.
