Doctor sues Santa Monica and LA County after near-deadly crash

A doctor has filed a lawsuit against Santa Monica and Los Angeles County after he suffered extensive injuries in a life-altering crash last year. 

The near-deadly crash happened on Nov. 8, 2024, as Dr. Brandon Ishaque walked in a crosswalk at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and 10th Street. In the lawsuit, Ishaque and his attorney Shant Karnikian claim the city of Santa Monica received three reports that the crosswalk's warning lights were broken months before a car slammed into the radiologist. 

"The last thing I remember was looking straight up in the air and I was like 'Oh no, this is probably not going to be good," Ishaque said. "Fractured my leg, my hip bone, scapula, which is part of the shoulder, had air in both lungs, injured my artery in my neck, and then my biggest injury was my kidney, which was shattered." 

Karnikian said the intersection has a history of crashes that caused serious injuries and death. 

"Just in the last few years, there's been so many incidents, north of 20 incidents, including death, serious injuries at this intersection itself," he said.

The lawsuit accuses Santa Monica and LA County of negligence and of leaving the crosswalk in a dangerous condition.

"It's not just the damage that he sustained but it's also making sure that things like this don't happen," Karnikian said. "This is the mechanism for bringing about change and making things safer."

CBS LA could not reach city officials for comment. However, the city's website lists Wilshire Boulevard as a priority in Santa Monica's "Vision Zero" initiative, which aims to eliminate fatal and severe injury crashes by next year. 

In a study that analyzed 11 years of collision data, staff found that half of all fatal and severe crashes in Santa Monica happened on 10% of the city's streets, one of which was Wilshire Boulevard. 

As part of Vision Zero, city staff installed crosswalk warning lights at the intersection of 10th and Wilshire Boulevard. Ishaque said the lights are not enough, especially if they're not working.

"One day before the accident, I was just walking in the crosswalk with an elderly lady, and she was hesitant to cross the road," Ishaque said. "She told me, 'Oh, I've actually been hit in this intersection."