The city of Los Angeles will pay up to $9.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a woman who claimed a poorly designed intersection was the cause of a traffic collision that left her injured.
On Tuesday, the City Council unanimously approved the settlement amount for plaintiff Jan Yuna Horahata, whose car was struck by a vehicle in February 2021 at Oakshire Drive and Cahuenga Boulevard in the Hollywood Hills.
Days earlier, a traffic signal pole was damaged in an accident at the same intersection, said David Rudorffer, an attorney with Panish, Shea & Ravipudi who represents Horahata. The traffic signal was damaged, so the city installed a temporary signal on a pole on the side of the road, Rudorfer said.
Horahata was driving a 2004 Toyota Highlander on Oakshire Road just before 8 a.m. and turned left onto the north side of Cahuenga Street after the light turned green.
The driver of a 2004 Chevy truck traveling south on Cahuenga Boulevard failed to stop at a red light and collided with Horihata's vehicle. The driver did not notice the temporary traffic light “until the last second,” Rudorfer said, adding that the placement of the temporary traffic light made it difficult to see.
Horahata underwent neck surgery, according to Rudorfer. She claimed in her lawsuit that the intersection was “improperly and dangerously designed” by the city.
Ivor Payne, spokesperson for City Atty. Heidi Feldstein Soto did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
