California parents of crash victim sue state, city, utility, restaurant chain

By Jim Greene

Published on August 18, 2005

The suit by Charles Beeler and Leslie Mireles blames Caltrans, the state's transportation agency, and the City of Moreno Valley for a freeway offramp they say did not have adequate traffic control devices, and Southern California Edison, the regional electric utility company, for not providing adequate lighting on the offramp.

According to police reports, Charles Beeler was driving on a surface street when his Ford Escort collided with a Nissan Pathfinder merging onto the street from a freeway offramp. Police say Beeler got out of his car, and was fatally injured when the driver of a Saturn sedan, who apparently did not see the other two vehicles in time to avoid them, struck the Nissan, which, in turn, struck Beeler.

The suit also names as defendants the other two drivers involved and Denny's Restaurants, the employer of the driver of the Pathfinder. None of the defendants would comment on the case.

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