Parents of the 12 Year Old Killed While Paddleboarding File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit

/

Almost a year after the death of their 12-year-old daughter during an incident in Mission Bay's De Anza Cove, Ashley and Mark Peterson filed a wrongful death lawsuit.

The Case: Ashley and Mark Peterson v. City of San Diego, County of San Diego, State of California, OfferUp, Theresa Miranda De Vara, Leal Serafin, Isaac Shaker, Arsanyous R. Ghaly, Peter Youssef, Does 1-100 inclusive

The Court: Superior Court of California, County of San Diego - Central Division

The Case No.:

The Plaintiffs: Parents File Wrongful Death Lawsuit After Their 12-Year-Old's Death

The plaintiffs in the case are Ashley and Mark Peterson, the parents of a 12-year-old who was killed while paddle boarding in Mission Bay's De Anza Cove in July 2023. 12-year-old Savannah was hit by 19-year-old Arsanyous Ghaly, who was riding a Jet Ski.

Multiple Defendants Listed in the Wrongful Death Lawsuit:

The defendants in the case include the man driving the Jet Ski that ran over the child, Ghaly, who was accused of Savannah's death in a criminal case and faces a charge of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. Ghaly, a resident of Bellflower in Los Angeles County, was arrested in November 2023. Ghaly is accused of going 10x the speed limit (approx. 50 mph in a 5 mph zone) when he hit the child paddleboarding. Ghaly plead not guilty and denied all charges during his informational arraignment. In addition to Ghaly, Savannah's parents named nine other defendants:

  • two other Jet Ski riders

  • two owners of the Jet Ski

  • the city, the county, the state, and the San Diego Unified Port District

  • OfferUp (the app allegedly used to rent the Jet Skis)

According to the California Wrongful Death lawsuit, just eight minutes before the deadly incident, the group of three Jet Ski riders were pulled over by a San Diego lifeguard for excessive speed and reckless operation. The suit also indicates that Ghaly and the two other riders were not provided proper training on safe Jet Ski operation and did not have California Boater's Cards.

The Case: Petersons v. City of San Diego, et al

In the complaint for wrongful death and survival, the plaintiffs make several claims:

  • Dangerous condition of public property

  • Violations of the California Harbors and Navigation Code

  • Negligence per se

  • Gross Negligence

  • Negligence

  • Loss of Companionship

The plaintiffs seek a jury trial.

If you have questions about filing a California wrongful death lawsuit, don't hesitate to contact Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik DeBlouw LLP. Discuss your situation today with one of the experienced wrongful death attorneys in our various law firm offices in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside, and Chicago.