as a bright, healthy 12-year-old who loved her family, her friends, playing soccer, and dreaming of her future. She is a light in our lives, and our hearts continue to break every day since we lost her,” Ashley and Mark Peterson, Savannah’s parents, said in a statement through a PR firm.
The man accused in her death in the criminal case — 19-year-old Arsanyous Ghaly — is facing charges of felony vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. He was arrested in November 2023, about four months after the crash. He was 18 at the time, and is a resident of Bellflower, in Los Angeles County.
12-year-old paddleboarder killed in Mission Bay crash
On Tuesday, Ghaly had his informational arraignment, where he pleaded not guilty and denied all allegations.
Savanah Howe, Deputy District Attorney said, “the defendant was travelling 10x the speed limit, going about 50 mph in a 5 mph zone, when he hit the young female on the paddleboard.”
On Monday, Savannah’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit naming 10 defendants, including Ghaly, two others riding the Jet Ski’s, the two owners of the Jet Ski, the City of San Diego, the County of San Diego, the State of California, the San Diego Unified Port District and Offer Up, the platform allegedly used to rent the Jet Skis.
The wrongful death lawsuit claims that eight minutes before the deadly incident, a San Diego lifeguard pulled over Ghaly and two others on the two Jet Skis for excessive speed and reckless operation. It also claims Ghaly and the two others, who are not named in the criminal case, did not receive proper training on how to operate the Jet Ski’s safely, and did not have a California Boater’s Card.
The full “Complaint for Wrongful Death and Survival” can be found below:
2024.06.17_Peterson_Complaint_FINAL_signedDownload
“We advise everyone to take their responsibilities and their operation of such watercraft seriously to avoid tragic incidents like the one in this case,” said Deputy District Attorney Howe.
Ghaly faces up to six years behind bars if convicted. He is scheduled back in court in August, and a jury trial is set to begin on November 4. Ghaly is not being held in jail during the court proceedings, and has been released on his own recognizance.
Arrest made in Mission Bay crash that killed 12-year-old paddleboarder
“Her death was a senseless, preventable tragedy for our family, including her younger brother, and for our community. We are focused on making sure no other family is forced to endure the loss we live with every day,” the family added.
“We filed this lawsuit to hold people and entities accountable, to create and maintain safe places, and to follow and enforce the laws that are meant to protect us all. We are unwavering in our commitment to make Mission Bay a safe place for families and will work to ensure that this preventable tragedy spurs the change necessary to reach that goal,” the family said in a statement.
“We are currently investigating the details of this case and do not have any further comment at this time,” an OfferUp Spokesperson said to FOX 5/KUSI in a statement
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