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Fatal Bouquet Canyon Crash Elena Kramer
Photo by Sydney Croasmun. The memorial for Elena L. Kramer, 19, on Bouquet Canyon Road in Saugus.

Los Angeles County To Settle $6 Million Bouquet Canyon Fatal Crash Lawsuit

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is expected to release $6 million for a lawsuit settlement relating to a 2016 fatal accident that killed a 19-year-old woman on Bouquet Canyon Road. 

On Jan. 4, 2016, 19-year-old Elena Kramer, from Leona Valley, was killed when her car hit an oak tree and plunged 20 feet down a ravine off of the 34900 block of Bouquet Canyon Road north of Saugus.

According to incident reports, Kramer lost control of her vehicle while negotiating a curve a little over two miles south of Spunky Canyon Road, crossed over the roadway center into the opposing lane of traffic, over a dirt shoulder and collided with a County-maintained tree.

Kramer, a student at Glendale Community College, was a rising star on her school’s softball team at the time of her death.

Less than 10 feet away from the oak tree that Kramer collided with sits a second memorial, marking the place where a 16-year-old boy from Palmdale died less than 5 months before on Aug. 22, 2015, when the car he was riding in also hit a tree.

After investigation, Kramer’s family claimed that dangerous conditions on Bouquet Canyon Road, which is controlled and maintained by the County, caused the accident, and sought damages for her death.

Los Angeles County legal council suggests that due to the risks and uncertainties of litigation, the County Supervisors release a full and final settlement of the case in the amount of $6,000,000 is recommended.

See Related: County Officials Lowering Speed Limit On Stretch Of Bouquet Canyon Road

In January 2020, lawyers representing Cassandra Parks, Kramer’s mother, established that the roadway constituted a dangerous condition for its lack of a guardrail. A guardrail which “would have prevented the tragic death,” if it had been in place at the time of the crash, according to the county case summary.

As a result of the litigation, a metal guardrail has been installed and the speed limit reduced from 55 to 45 miles per hour along a portion of the roadway between the Bouquet Reservoir to Texas Canyon.

Los Angeles County legal council suggests that due to the risks and uncertainties of litigation, the County Supervisors release a full and final settlement of the case in the amount of $6,000,000 is recommended.

The County Board of Supervisors meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, Dec. 8, the full agenda can be viewed here.


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Los Angeles County To Settle $6 Million Bouquet Canyon Fatal Crash Lawsuit

12 comments

  1. Sue, sue, sue. Guardrail or no guardrail they would Sue! The road all the way, top to bottom is windy and if people don’t slow down, crashes happen! The rising star should have more careful, but No, make the taxpayers pay—-

  2. 16 and 19 year old? So new drivers underestimated their speed and the road. Its been happening ever since the first Model A rolled off the line. This comes down to valuing your life . Its always sad when young adults are killed but its pathetic when you blame the wrong people and sue over it.

  3. So it’s someone ELSES fault that the “rising star” was speeding down Bouquet and lost control, huh?? Drunk or NOT! What kind of lawyer would lose a case like this?! That’s just too much! How could that defense even fly? Such Bull! Guess it’s a thing of the PAST to actually have to be responsible for your own actions! What a JOKE! They shouldn’t even have payed a CENT to that girl! And they shoulda made HER pay for the damage to the tree and cleaning up HER mess on the roadside too! ?

  4. Something tells me that giving a teenager’s corpse a speeding ticket and stern lecture wouldn’t do much.

  5. Of course I meant the girls family whose making the lawsuit should be told a firm NO to any money and also spanked with the ticket and cleanup fees, etc.but of course none of that is gonna happen, but it should!

  6. Arn: WOW, words well spoken!! Congrats!!

  7. That’s la county for ya

  8. That is ridiculous. 6 million dollers. I’m sorry the
    young lady died but I lived on that road for several years. I witnesed a car hit the canyon wall cross the road, flip over the opposite side landing in the creek. They survived thank God. Had they not been speeding it would not had happened. That road has many curves and should be driven with caution. Take in the beauty and slow down. 6 million dollars. Give me a break.

  9. What a joke. The Kramer family should be ashamed of themselves. Contradicting stories and they still got 6 million. Took the money and left California and moved to Texas. Money won’t bring your daughter back. I really love how in one story Cassandra said she called Elena that day and yelled at her about being on bouquet canyon road. Then another story claims Elenas phone wasn’t near her. Bs story man. Bunch of thieves

  10. Those drivers responsible for their own deaths and no one else. I drive through Bouquet canyon and those commuters are crazy and raged if I drive with speed limit. They tailgate, pass me on the curves with disregard for other drivers lives and drive 60 to 70 on 45 mph speed limit Putting rails won’t make any difference, they will crash into rails now. That family should be ashamed! That road is not dangerous if you drive within speed limit or below. I know it, been driving it for 20 years. She was speeding and that is why she is dead.

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About Jade Aubuchon

A Santa Clarita native, Jade has spent her whole life involved in community outreach. After graduating from Learning Post High in 2015, she went on to College of the Canyons to pursue a double major in English and Marketing. Jade spent several years as a ballroom dance performer for a local studio and has performed at public and private events throughout Santa Clarita. As KHTS Co-News Director Jade oversees the KHTS news team, which covers all the latest news impacting Santa Clarita. Along with covering and writing her own news stories, Jade can be heard broadcasting the daily local news every weekday morning and afternoon drive-time twice an hour on KHTS 98.1FM and AM-1220. Jade is also instrumental in reporting on-the-scene local emergencies, covering them on-air and via Facebook Live and YouTube. Another dimension to Jade’s on-air skills and writing are her regular political and celebrity interviews, including her bi-monthly interview with our Congressman Mike Garcia and many other local politicians and community leaders.