June 30, 2025 #1 Local News, Information and Event Source for the Century City/Westwood areas.

Venice Beach Lifeguard Admits to Running Over Sunbather in SUV

Venice Beach Lifeguard (Thinkstock).
Venice Beach Lifeguard (Thinkstock).

A Los Angeles County lifeguard admitted she inadvertently ran over a sunbather at Venice Beach with an SUV and that the accident should not have happened, according to deposition transcripts filed on behalf of the injured woman.

Lorae Bermudez of Whittier suffered a lacerated liver when she was struck by the SUV about 4:20 p.m. on Sept. 15, 2014, according to her court papers. She sued Los Angeles County in Los Angeles Superior Court two months later.

Bermudez’s lawyers included deposition excerpts from their client and the lifeguard, Lidia Barillas, in a motion asking that a judge find Los Angeles County negligent without leaving it up to a jury.

A hearing is scheduled Sept. 15, the second anniversary of the accident.

Barillas was deposed last September. Asked whether she believes in retrospect that she should have noticed Bermudez before running over her, the witness replied, “I hope I see everyone. So, yes, I should have seen her.”

Asked if Bermudez was doing anything wrong at the time, Barillas replied, “No.”

“Do you believe that anything she did contributed to the cause of the incident?” Barillas was asked next.

“No, I don’t think so,” Barillas replied.

“Is there anyone else at fault for this accident?” Barillas was asked subsequently.

“No, I don’t think so,” Barillas answered.

Barillas said she was traveling 2 to 4 mph in a Ford Escape at the time of the accident. She said she had left her tower to warn swimmers about dangerous conditions and that a warning beeper on her vehicle was activated.

“Do you feel bad about what happened to her?” Barillas was asked.

“Of course I feel bad,” she replied.

Barillas testified that Bermudez’s husband, Thomas Kim, arrived from the water and appeared “confused” about what had happened. Barillas said Bermudez, in talking to her husband, was “upset and shocked and was saying that she had just gotten hit by the truck.”

Asked what she told Kim, Barillas replied, “I told him that I accidentally ran her over and that I was very, very sorry.”

Bermudez complained of pain in her lower back, pelvic region and right ribcage area, according to Barillas.

Asked what assistance she gave Bermudez, Barillas responded, “I got her baseline vitals.”

Barillas testified she began working as a Los Angeles County lifeguard in 2007 and was given a promotion to a supervisor position a year later.

In her own deposition last June, Bermudez said her husband had left to go into the water and that she was lying on a beach towel when the accident occurred.

“Not too long after that is when I felt this crushing weight come over me,” Bermudez testified.

After the wheels of the SUV had passed over her, Bermudez said she was “able to scream and yell and cry. I knew who it was that ran me over, so I expected immediate help.”

She said other sunbathers were present, but they did not respond to her pleas for help.  “So at that point I began to scream out, ‘Somebody please help me,’ and I shouted that out several times,” Bermudez said.

Bermudez, then 26, said she asked a man who approached her to find her husband and gave a description of what her spouse was wearing.

Kim also is a plaintiff in the lawsuit and is alleging negligent infliction of emotional distress.

Related Posts

Historic Sawtelle Nursery Site Could Become 40-Unit Townhome Complex

June 30, 2025

June 30, 2025

Sawtelle Continues to Change as Nursery Site Faces Redevelopment Plans have been submitted to redevelop a nursery site, F.K. Nursery,...

California Judge Rules FAIR Plan’s Smoke Damage Policy Unlawful

June 29, 2025

June 29, 2025

Court Says Wildfire Insurance Program Illegally Denied Claims Legal protections for California homeowners took a step forward this week after...

(Video) Culver City Residents and City and County Leaders Rally for Disappeared Ice Cream Man Ambrocio “Enrique” Lozano

June 29, 2025

June 29, 2025

US Representative for California’s 37th Congressional District, Sydney Kamlager-Dove Speaks About What is happening to the disappeared.

Drake Slashes Price on Beverly Hills Estate to $79 Million Amid Market Slowdown

June 29, 2025

June 29, 2025

Price Cut Adds to a Broader Retreat From His Los Angeles Real Estate Holdings. Musician Drake has reduced the price...

Iranian Pastor in West L.A. Speaks as Church Rocked by Immigration Raids 

June 28, 2025

June 28, 2025

Five Detained as Fear Spreads Through Persian Christian Faith Community  Fear has spread through a West Los Angeles congregation after...

Overdose Deaths Drop 22% in Los Angeles County, Marking Largest Decline on Record

June 28, 2025

June 28, 2025

Fentanyl Fatalities Fell 37% as County Ramps up Funding for Prevention, Treatment Drug overdose deaths in Los Angeles County declined...

Cinespia Brings Fireworks and Fan Favorites to Hollywood Forever This July

June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

Watch Top Gun, La La Land, and More Under the Stars at Hollywood Forever Cinespia, Los Angeles’ iconic outdoor movie...

California Doubles Down on Hollywood: $750M in Tax Credits Approved for Film and TV Industry

June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

State Lawmakers Back Major Expansion of Production Incentives, Raising Job Projections Los Angeles’ film and television industry is poised to...

Robbery Suspects Captured in Beverly Hills After License Plate Alert Triggers Pursuit

June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

Foot Chase Ends in Arrests After ALPR Flags Robbery Vehicle in Beverly Hills An alert from the Beverly Hills Police...

EEEEEATSCON Los Angeles Returns with Star Chefs, Firefighter Tribute, and Wildfire Relief Efforts

June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

Culinary Festival Features Exclusive Restaurant Collabs, Support for Small Businesses  EEEEEATSCON Los Angeles, the celebrated food festival curated by The...

Supporters to Gather This Weekend for Longtime Culver City Paleta Seller Held in Detention

June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

Family and Neighbors Will Gather Sunday to Sell Paletas and Raise Funds Supporters will gather this Sunday at Veterans Park...

Suspect Charged by Los Angeles DA with Shooting of Santa Monica Cop and Teens

June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

Faces Attempted Murder Charges and Over 100 Years to Life in Prison if Convicted. Criminal charges have been filed against...

Café UCLA Pops Up in Westwood to Honor Arthur Ashe’s Historic Wimbledon Win

June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

Three-Day Celebration Includes Giveaways in Tribute to the Iconic Athlete and Activist UCLA will commemorate the 50th anniversary of Arthur...

Captain America Hits the Skirball Big Screen for Heroic Outdoor Movie Night

June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

Museum-Goers Can Also Catch a Superhero-Themed Drawing Session The Skirball Cultural Center will host an outdoor screening of Captain America:...

Demolition Underway at Beverly Grove Squatter Site After Mystery Fire Renews Safety Fears

June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

Crews Begin Tearing Down Long-Vacant Apartments on First and Flores  Demolition has begun at a group of long-abandoned apartment buildings...