Family Of Man Who Died After Falling Out Of Party Bus On 101 Freeway Files Suit
UNIVERSAL CITY (CBSLA.com) — The family of a 24-year-old man who was killed last September when he fell out the door of a party bus on the Hollywood (101) Freeway has filed a wrongful death suit.
The parents of Christopher "C.J." Saraceno filed the lawsuit against Platinum Style Limousine Service of Los Angeles and their driver.
Saraceno's father, Christopher, said C.J. was changing the music on the party bus when the driver made a turn, causing his son to fall and go through the door. He was then struck by several vehicles on the freeway near Universal City.
As a result of the bus's "faulty rear door, the rear door opened, allowing Passenger #1 to be ejected," a 36-page California Highway Patrol report stated.
Christine Spagnoli, the attorney for the Saraceno family, said had the door not malfunctioned, the young man would be alive.
"The bus needs to have properly functioning doors that don't open when the bus is moving on the freeway, and there was apparently an air compressor that wasn't keeping the proper pressure to keep the door closed," she said.
CBS2's Brittney Hopper spoke with Christopher via Skype from his Connecticut home.
"It's something that should never have happened. My son had a future. It's unfathomable," he said.
Saraceno's father said his son had moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career after graduating from Tufts University.
"This is something that's unmeasurable. This is something that has broken my family's heart collectively," he said.
The limo company's attorney told Hopper that they sympathize with the Saraceno family.
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