The families of four Pepperdine University students who were struck and killed on Pacific Coast Highway last year, and a fifth student who was injured, are suing local and state officials they say are responsible for the deadly roadway.
In four separate lawsuits filed in Santa Monica District Court, the families are class-action suing the State of California, the California Department of Transportation, the California Coastal Commission, Los Angeles County and the City of Malibu, alleging that the PCH is unsafe and unreliable by design. The responsible parties failed to take necessary safety measures. Injured student Carlos Solloa has joined the lawsuit filed by the families of the two slain students.
In October 2023, four Pepperdine seniors, Alpha Phi sorority sisters Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir, and Deslyn Williams, were struck and killed by a car traveling over 100 mph when they were struck by a parked car on the stretch of road known as Deadman’s Curve.
“For too long, the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu has been and continues to be dangerous for pedestrians and motorists,” the plaintiffs’ attorneys said in a joint statement, adding: “As a result of defendants’ complacency, too many lives have been needlessly lost.”
Spokespeople for the Coastal Commission and Caltrans said the agencies could not comment on the litigation.
“We understand the families’ legal actions to seek accountability and the city respects their right to seek justice,” the city of Malibu said in a statement. “While we cannot comment on the details of the litigation, we want to reaffirm our long-standing commitment to improving safety on PCH for both residents and visitors.”
Santo Riccobono, who represents Peyton Stewart’s mother, Carmela Stewart, told The Times: “Unfortunately, in our society, the only way we can bring about change and really get people’s attention on certain issues is to file a lawsuit.”
The City of Malibu approved the 2015 PCH Safety Study, which identified 130 projects to improve safety along the 21-mile stretch of highway.
“They only did seven out of 130,” Riccobono said. “We believe that if they had actually completed all the projects they planned, these girls would be alive today.”
Riccobono said Carmella Stewart’s brother died at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, when she and her husband decided, “Life is short, we have to have a baby.” It was Peyton.
“The life of her little girl was cut short and we want, we need, a change so that this does not happen to other girls in the future,” she said.
The crash, which killed four women and shocked the Malibu community, was the deadliest pedestrian-vehicle accident in Los Angeles County since 2012, according to the UC Berkeley Traffic Injury Mapping System.
Malibu spent $39 million for traffic safety improvement projects along the highway, including a bike path at Zuma Beach and a “deterrent bed” to stop out-of-control vehicles. Additionally, the city added a crosswalk and traffic signal, and improved medians and intersections.
It also allocated $8 million for a traffic signal alignment project that will align signals on PCH from Topanga Canyon Boulevard to John Tyler Drive. The project, which began in early 2023 and is scheduled for completion in 2025, will include signals from the Caltrans traffic control center.
This year, Malibu also invested in a public education campaign to encourage drivers to slow down while traveling on PCH.
In addition to the city’s efforts, Caltrans last December committed $4.2 million toward a list of 30 improvements, including improved curve stripes, optical speed bars (stripes painted on the road at shorter intervals to help drivers avoid speeding traffic), pavement speed limit signs and replacement of safety signs along corridors.
What the city and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department want is radar, another tool they say will slow drivers down in the coastal community.
Senate Bill 1297, which the Legislature passed this year and is awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature, would allow the city of Malibu to install five camera systems to monitor drivers’ speeds.
