$300k Wrongful Death Recovered due to Accidental Bullet Discharge

Our client went to an individual’s house, along with another friend, to celebrate the individual’s birthday. At the time, the defendant was living in a small back house located in Lancaster, California. The individual’s parent, the defendant, was the owner of the property and was living in the main house on the property. The individual rented the back house from the defendant for a certain amount per month.

The friends spent the evening playing video games, drinking, smoking, and overall having a “great time” in the individual’s back house. However, this great time ended in the early morning hours when the individual asked if the friends wanted to “see something cool.”

The individual proceeded to retrieve an AR-15 rifle from the bedroom and brought it into the living room to show the friends. While our client was seated on the couch, the individual stood a few feet away, loading and unloading the weapon. The individual then extended the rifle, which he thought was unloaded, into our client’s direction for them to hold. But, before making the handoff, the gun discharged and the bullet struck our client in the face.

The individual panicked and then called 9-1-1. Police and paramedics arrived on the scene a short time later, and our client was pronounced dead.