State hit with lawsuit over pedestrian’s death on Tropicana Avenue

Bill Gang

Friday, Jan. 29, 1999 | 11:47 a.m.

A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed over a fatal auto-pedestrian accident at an intersection near the Tropicana and the MGM Grand hotel-casinos where five other such accidents have occurred in recent years.

The lawsuit over the Aug. 28, 1997, death of Gregory Texada, however, does not target the driver of the car but the state of Nevada and the Nevada Department of Transportation.

Although there is a crosswalk and traffic light at the intersection of Tropicana Avenue and Island Way, the lawsuit claims the intersection 65 yards east of a pedestrian bridge at Las Vegas Boulevard is "inherently dangerous."

Three pedestrians were run down and killed in the intersection in the two years before Texada died and two more since then, according to the lawsuit filed on behalf of Texada's wife, Evonede.

Gregory Texada, who was visiting Las Vegas from Georgia, was hit as he tried to cross the nine lanes of traffic. Texada died at University Medical Center.

The lawsuit, filed by attorney Brad Booke, alleges the traffic lights and crosswalk were "negligently designed and constructed" and the location is "not a reasonable or safe route."

It was noted that there is no island in the middle of Tropicana Avenue to provide a location for pedestrians to stand if they cannot cross the street in the time allotted by the traffic light.