The parents of four Pepperdine University students who tragically lost their lives in a car accident on California’s Pacific Coast Highway have filed lawsuits against the state and local governments. The students, Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir, and Deslyn Williams, were walking along a notorious stretch of the highway in Malibu, known locally as “Dead Man’s Curve,” when a speeding driver veered onto the shoulder, killing the young women and injuring another student in October 2023.
The driver was subsequently charged with vehicular manslaughter. However, the parents of the victims argue that the driver was not solely responsible for the accident. They point to the dangerous conditions of “Dead Man’s Curve,” a well-known pedestrian hazard where locals and beachgoers must walk perilously close to highway traffic.
Between 2013 and 2023, this deadly stretch of road has been the site of over 3,000 collisions, resulting in 52 deaths and 92 serious injuries. These alarming statistics are cited in four separate lawsuits filed against the state of California, the California Department of Transportation, the California Coastal Commission, Los Angeles County, and the city of Malibu.
The lawsuits argue that visitors to a nearby public beach are forced to navigate a perilous one-mile stretch of the highway, walking along unprotected shoulders without sidewalks or crosswalks, and maneuvering around parked vehicles. Daniel Kramer, an attorney representing one of the parents, likened the situation to “running the [interstate] freeway through a residential neighborhood.”
Kramer asserts that authorities were fully aware of the dangers posed by the highway. In 2015, the Malibu City Council approved a plan for 130 improvements to the Pacific Coast Highway. However, despite more than $28 million being invested in these projects, only seven of the proposed improvements have been completed to date.
The driver involved in the fatal accident, 22-year-old Fraser Bohm, also injured Carlos Solloa, a fellow Pepperdine student and co-plaintiff in the lawsuits. Solloa sustained orthopedic and neurological injuries and is now joining the victims’ families in their fight for safer conditions on “Dead Man’s Curve.”
While the plaintiffs do hold Bohm accountable for his actions, their lawsuits aim to bring about necessary safety improvements to the notorious stretch of highway. One of the victims, Peyton Stewart, was set to graduate this year with a major in international business and had already secured a job with TikTok, according to her father, Barry Stewart.
Barry and his wife Carmela have been tirelessly advocating for change, attending public meetings, and lobbying state and local officials. Kramer praised the strength and determination of the parents, stating, “It’s been devastating for them, but I’m in awe of the strength of these parents and how hard they are willing to fight.”