The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power settled with family members of a father and daughter who were fatally electrocuted in the backyard of their Panorama City home in 2021 for $38 million, officials said.
Ferdinand Tejada, 53, and Janina Tejada, 20, were both killed in the early morning of Jan. 25, 2021 after hearing a loud noise outside the home in the 14700 block of Tupper Street. Ferdinand Tejada went into the backyard to inspect the source of the noise — that’s when he came into contact with a downed electrical wire hanging into his back yard from an LADWP utility pole and collapsed.
According to reports at the time of their deaths, Janina Tejada saw her father fall and ran to him. But she also was electrocuted.
The wire had been damaged during a rainstorm that pounded the area, knocking out power to the Tejadas’ neighborhood. Two other members of the Tejada family witnessed the father and daughter’s deaths.
They later sued LADWP, blaming the agency for failing to properly maintain the electric pole.
According to their April 2021 claim, Julleth Tejada, the wife of Ferdinand, and Janina’s grandmother Estrelita Madrigal wrote they were “in close proximity” when the husband and daughter were electrocuted to death.
Julleth Tejada “saw and heard them get electrocuted as a result of the energized severed conductor, and witnessed the fatal injuries sustained by her husband and daughter,” according to the claim.
Madrigal “was within close proximity, and heard the explosion, smelled the smoke and fire, heard the screams and the yelling and was aware that her granddaughter was being electrocuted and suffered fatal injuries at the time it occurred.”
According to court records, the public utility settled with the Tejada family in March, after the DWP board of directors voted in a closed session meeting to approve the settlement.
A spokeswoman for the agency confirmed the utility settled for $38 million.
“We extend our deepest…
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