August 11, 2025 #1 Local News, Information and Event Source for the Century City/Westwood areas.

WalMart Sued Over Tire Blowout

The son of a Lancaster man who died in a 2012 rollover crash after a tire blowout testified Friday that he was unaware his father had not survived the accident until he woke up in a hospital.

“I woke up and there were one or two nurses around,” said Daniel Akins, who along with his mother and sister are suing Arkansas-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. “I thought he was still alive and I asked where he was. They told me he didn’t make it.”

Akins, 27, said his immediate reaction as he heard the news at Kern County Medical Center in Bakersfield was denial.

“I couldn’t get the words out, but I wanted to tell them it (their statement) was a mistake,” Akins said.

Akins, his 61-year-old mother, Diann Akins, and 31-year-old sister, Esther Pollnow, allege the employees at a Walmart store in Lancaster store should have inspected the 20-year-old spare tire when Diann Akins bought four new tires for her son as a Christmas gift in December 2009.

The spare tire failed when Akins lost control of his 1990 Jeep Cherokee on state Highway 58 on July 24, 2012, about 68 miles from the family’s home, ejecting and killing his 55-year-old father, William.

The two were headed on a Father’s Day camping trip to Kings Canyon National Park. Akins said he put the spare on the left rear of the Jeep after the tire there began losing air shortly before the trip.

The family’s lawyers say the spare tire’s age could easily be determined by coding on the tire. But Wal-Mart lawyers maintain that government and tire industry representatives generally agree that tires need not be replaced based on age alone. They also say there is no evidence to support Diann Akins’s claim that she asked Walmart employees to keep the best tire be kept as the spare.

Akins said he did not immediately know what was happening when he began to lose control of the Jeep before it rolled down an embankment.

“I heard a lot of noise and the car started to pull to the left,” Akins said. “It seemed to be like a fairly violent experience.”

Akins said he also felt “shuddering” from the rear of the Jeep. Wanting to avoid colliding with the tall median wall, Akins said he tried to steer back into the right lane.

“I felt like I wasn’t in control of the car,” he said.

Akins said his injuries included a deep gash on top of his head. He said he also temporarily wore a neck brace and was off work from Starbucks for three to four months.

“It took a while to realize how severe the nerve damage was,” Akins said, adding that he still has pain in both knees.

Diann Akins fought back tears as she recalled how excited her husband was that their son was taking him camping.

“It was a belated Father’s Day trip,” she said.

The morning that father and son departed, both were in a leisurely mood and the elder Akins was singing “Oh Danny Boy,” she testified.

She said she was on a computer looking at home improvement store websites later that day when her cell phone rang. She said she did not recognize the number from the hospital.

“Your son has been in an accident,” she said someone on the phone told her.

She said she asked to speak to her husband, but was passed more than once to another person and was finally given an address to the hospital. She got into her car and drove to Bakersfield, where she was met at the hospital by a doctor and nurse who asked her to follow them.

She said that when she reached the emergency room, she found her injured son, who apologized to her for the accident and asked her not to leave.

A hospital chaplain later told her in a hallway that her husband had died.

“I found out he was in the morgue in the other side of the hospital,” she said, testifying that her emotions overtook her.

“I remember waking up in a gurney,” she said.

 

488910227

Related Posts

Frank Gehry Designed Playa Vista Office Complex Gets Green Light From LA Council

August 11, 2025

August 11, 2025

City Council Approves Environmental Study for Playa Vista Development City lawmakers last week moved a Frank Gehry–designed office development in...

Developer Lists $38M Brentwood Estate With Panoramic Views and Resort Amenities

August 10, 2025

August 10, 2025

“The Outlook,” Offers City-To-Ocean Vistas, Wellness Center, and Screening Lounge Developer David Maman has listed a newly built Brentwood mansion...

Brad Pitt Buys $12M Gated Hollywood Hills Mansion With Sweeping LA-to-Ocean Views

August 10, 2025

August 10, 2025

Oscar Winner’s Spanish-Style Estate Features Movie Theater, Recording Studio, Pool Brad Pitt has purchased a Spanish-style estate in the Hollywood...

Shannen Doherty’s Malibu Sanctuary Hits the Market for $9.45 Million

August 10, 2025

August 10, 2025

“Beverly Hills, 90210” Star’s Is Listed a Year After Her Death. The Malibu home where actress Shannen Doherty spent two...

Trump Administration Demands $1B From UCLA Over Campus Protests To Restore Funding and to Appoint Federal Monitor

August 9, 2025

August 9, 2025

Proposed Deal Ends Race and Ethnicity-Based Scholarships, Halt to Gender-Affirming Care  Federal officials are seeking $1 billion from the University...

Salt & Straw Debuts Farmers Market-Inspired Flavors for August

August 9, 2025

August 9, 2025

Series Features Peak-Season Produce in Inventive Ice Creams Salt & Straw has rolled out a new limited-edition collection celebrating peak...

Los Angeles DA Nathan Hochman Seeks to Block Menendez Brothers’ Push for New Trial

August 9, 2025

August 9, 2025

Defense Team Claims It Proves Long-Standing Allegations, File For Clemency Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman has formally urged a...

From Pop-Up to Permanent: Mustard’s Bagels Secures Home Base in Culver City and Is Now Open

August 9, 2025

August 9, 2025

Bakery Will Bake Bagel Favorites and Seasonal Specials While New Space Takes Shape. By Dolores Quintana There’s even more great...

Pepperdine Crash Defendant Hires High-Profile Attorney, Pleads Not Guilty

August 9, 2025

August 9, 2025

Fraser Michael Bohm Now Represented by Celebrity Defense Lawyer  Facing multiple murder and manslaughter charges, Malibu resident Fraser Michael Bohm...

Live Like Braun Memorial Tournament Honors Athlete’s Life on His Birthday on August 9

August 8, 2025

August 8, 2025

Players and Community Members Will Gather to Celebrate Braun Levi’s Life Friends, family, and supporters of the late Braun Levi...

Full Moon Frights at Cinespia: Vampires, Werewolves, and a Night Under the Stars

August 8, 2025

August 8, 2025

Double Feature Coincides With Rare Celestial Triple Event Cinespia invites fans of horror comedy classics will gather under the glow...

Xenomorphs Hit Hollywood: FX Launches Global ‘Alien: Earth’ Hunt Ahead of Series Premiere

August 8, 2025

August 8, 2025

Fans Can Track “Crash-Site” Crates in LA for Instant Prizes, Photo Ops, and Sweepstakes FX is bringing the world of...

Glorya Kaufman, Dance, Arts and Health Philanthropist Who Transformed L.A.’s Landscape, Dies at 95

August 8, 2025

August 8, 2025

From Culver City, Brentwood, UCLA, USC, and Downtown LA, Her Generosity was Legendary Glorya Kaufman, a transformative benefactor to the...

Overnight Lane Closures Set for I-405 Through Sepulveda Pass Next Week

August 7, 2025

August 7, 2025

Caltrans to Close Multiple Northbound and Southbound Lanes Nightly  Caltrans will implement overnight lane closures along Interstate 405 in the...

Levain Bakery Lands in Beverly Hills with Cookies, Swag, and a Sweet Surprise

August 7, 2025

August 7, 2025

Newest Location’s Debut Includes Limited-Edition Flavor, Early-Bird Giveaways Levain Bakery will mark the opening of its newest location in Beverly...