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Woman sues LA after she was hit by car and suffered brain injury when she was forced to step into busy Hollywood street because of homeless encampment on sidewalk

A Los Angeles woman struck by a car after being forced to step into a busy street because a homeless encampment blocked the sidewalk has slapped the city, county and state with a lawsuit.

Debra Todd, 64, was hit by a Nissan at the 101 Freeway overpass on Gower Street in Hollywood on Oct. 4, 2020, while attempting to deliver food and water to individuals living at the freeway encampment. 

She sustained injuries to her head, hip, back, arm and leg, according to the lawsuit filed Monday at the Los Angeles Superior Court. 

'Because of the encampment, you couldn't walk on the sidewalk. You had to walk on the street,' Todd told the L.A Times. 'There was no light or stop sign anywhere at Gower where I got hit.'

Debra Todd, 64, said she was hit by a Nissan at the 101 Freeway overpass on Gower Street in Hollywood on Oct. 4, 2020, while attempting to deliver food and water to individuals living at the freeway encampment. She is suing  the City of Los Angeles for negligence

Debra Todd, 64, said she was hit by a Nissan at the 101 Freeway overpass on Gower Street in Hollywood on Oct. 4, 2020, while attempting to deliver food and water to individuals living at the freeway encampment. She is suing  the City of Los Angeles for negligence 

Todd's lawsuit states that the encampments at the 101 overpass on Gower Street create dangerous conditions for pedestrians and drivers, and accuses the city of allowing the encampments to remain for a 'substantial amount of time.'

Todd's lawsuit states that the encampments at the 101 overpass on Gower Street create dangerous conditions for pedestrians and drivers, and accuses the city of allowing the encampments to remain for a 'substantial amount of time.'


Todd's lawsuit states that the encampments at the 101 overpass on Gower Street create dangerous conditions for pedestrians and drivers, and accuses the city of allowing the encampments to remain for a 'substantial amount of time.'

Her attorney, Alan Turlington, told the L.A Times his client suffered a mild traumatic brain injury, that could potentially leave her with a permanent disability and require future medical treatment. 

The amount demanded for the injuries was not specified. Requests for comment from Todd's lawyer from DailyMail.com were not returned. 

The lawsuit comes on the heels of L.A Mayor Eric Garcetti signing an order on July 2 that allows the City Council to remove homeless encampments that pose a public safety threat to residents. 

Under the proposed law, no one is allowed to obstruct a street, sidewalk, or other public right-of-way 'by sitting, lying, or sleeping, or by storing, using, maintaining, or placing personal property, in a manner that impedes passage.' 

While many approve of the new ordinance, others argue it would criminalize homelessness and result in the city to issuing citations to those who don't have the funds to pay.

Before enforcement of the law can begin, a council vote will be required. 

California has an estimated 161,000 unhoused people, more than a quarter of the nationwide total of 580,000, according to the the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

On July 19, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a $12 billion Project Homekey plan to combat homelessness in the nation's most populous state, calling it the 'largest single investment in providing support for the most vulnerable in American history.'

California has an estimated 161,000 unhoused people, more than a quarter of the nationwide total of 580,000, according to the the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

California has an estimated 161,000 unhoused people, more than a quarter of the nationwide total of 580,000, according to the the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

On July 19, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (pictured) signed a $12 billion Project Homekey plan to combat homelessness in the nation's most populous state, calling it the 'largest single investment in providing support for the most vulnerable in American history.'

 On July 19, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a $12 billion Project Homekey plan to combat homelessness in the nation's most populous state, calling it the 'largest single investment in providing support for the most vulnerable in American history.'

Newsom's office said $800 million - most of it federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act money - was spent on Homekey in 2020 to provide shelter for 8,200 people. 

Now, the administration plans to go even bigger: California will spend $5.8 billion of state and federal funds over two years to expand the program and create an estimated 42,000 housing units.  

'If you think of last year as a proof of concept, you can think of this year as taking this strategy to scale and making it a centerpiece of California´s approach to housing the homeless,' said Jason Elliott, senior counselor to Newsom.

Newsom has made tackling homelessness one of his top priorities. Now that the governor faces a recall election, Republican candidates have released their own plans to combat the crisis. 

John Cox wants to require unhoused people to receive any needed treatment for addiction or mental illness before they can get housing. Kevin Faulconer wants to build more shelters to make it easier to clear encampments. 

But California isn't the only state regulating homeless encampments.  

In addition to encampments encompassing Hollywood, Venice Beach's homeless encampments have also become a virtual tent city with violent crime and rampant drug use pushing tourists and families out.

In addition to encampments encompassing Hollywood, Venice Beach's homeless encampments have also become a virtual tent city with violent crime and rampant drug use pushing tourists and families out.

LAPD officers found skeletal remains near Venice Beach and identified them as belonging to Kolby Story, 32, (pictured) who had been missing since December

LAPD officers found skeletal remains near Venice Beach and identified them as belonging to Kolby Story, 32, who had been missing since December

This summer, New York City instituted an aggressive campaign to remove encampments from Manhattan, and Mayor Bill de Blasio plans to transfer more than 8,000 people from hotels where they were placed at the start of the pandemic into shelters.

And in Washington state, Seattle residents will vote on a measure that would force the mayor to take steps to combat the encampment problem, including creating 2,000 shelter or housing spaces within a year.   

In addition to encampments enveloping Hollywood, Venice Beach has also become a virtual tent city with violent crime and rampant drug use pushing tourists and families out. 

City workers began the process of tearing down homeless camps along Venice Beach ahead of the July 4 weekend this year. 

During a round of clearing tents on July 16, police were told that a woman was being held against her will in a beach tunnel in the 13700 block of Way, KCBS-TV reported.   

During an investigation, LAPD officers found the skeletal remains of Kolby Story, 32, missing since December. 

An LAPD spokesperson confirmed to DailyMail.com that a 'good Samaritan' found personal belongings belonging to Story and turned them in to police. According to KCBS-TV, cops recovered her checkbook and driver's license.  

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