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Family of Lancaster pastor killed in wrong-way crash files lawsuit

by The AV Times Staff • June 19, 2015

Manard Giles, 77, was a pastor at The Answer Community Church of God in Christ in Lancaster. The pastor and his passengers were returning from a church event in San Diego when they were struck by a wrong-way driver around 3:30 a.m. June 22, 2013. (Facebook photo)
Manard Giles, 77, was a pastor at The Answer Community Church of God in Christ in Lancaster. The pastor and his passengers were returning from a church event in San Diego when they were struck by a wrong-way driver around 3:30 a.m. June 22, 2013. (Facebook photo)

LOS ANGELES – The children of a Lancaster pastor who died after a wrong-way car crash on the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway in 2013 are suing a Hollywood nightclub for allegedly returning the truck and keys back to the man accused of driving drunk and causing the crash.

Wanda Giles of Victorville, Kenneth Giles of Claremont, Limmie Giles of Rialto and Esther Thomas Giles of San Bernardino filed the lawsuit Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court against King King.

Their father was 77-year-old Manard Giles, who was killed about 3:30 a.m. June 22, 2013, in a head-on collision on the northbound freeway near Escondido Canyon Road. Manard Giles was a pastor at The Answer Community Church of God in Christ in Lancaster. The pastor and his passengers had been returning from a church event in San Diego at the time of the crash.

According to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, Bradford Pate of Burbank was allegedly drunk when he drove his Toyota Tundra south onto the northbound lanes of the Antelope Valley Freeway. Pate’s truck crashed head-on into Manard Giles’ Chrysler 300, and the pastor was pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger in his car, Mattie Lee Ferguson, 60, of Lancaster, died later. A third passenger in the pastor’s vehicle was trapped in the car until rescuers could later free him.

Pate was charged with two counts of murder, two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, one count of DUI causing injury with a prior and DUI over 0.08% alcohol causing injury with prior, according to the District Attorney’s Office. Pate, who was convicted of DUI in 2007 in Ventura County, is currently awaiting trial. He faces up to life in prison, if convicted.

The suit states that King King had possession of Pate’s truck keys while he drank at the club late into the night of June 21, 2013, and through early the next morning. The suit does not state whether the keys were surrendered by Pate to valet operators or other employees while he was at the Hollywood Boulevard establishment.

However, the truck and keys were returned to Pate as he left, the suit states.

The suit alleges King King was negligent for “allowing a policy of returning vehicles and …. the vehicles’ keys to intoxicated persons, thereby allowing them to operate a vehicle,” causing an unreasonable risk of harm to the public of which the club should have been aware.

The complaint alleges negligence and wrongful death. It seeks unspecified damages.

A representative for King King could not be immediately reached Friday.

[City News Service contributed to this report.]

–

Previous related stories:

Wrong-way driver charged with murdering 2 local residents

Quartz Hill man killed, Lancaster man critically injured in wrong-way DUI crash

Filed Under: Crime/ Safety, Lancaster

19 comments for "Family of Lancaster pastor killed in wrong-way crash files lawsuit"

  1. Dequan says

    June 30, 2015 at 11:59 am

    Are all of the negative comments necessary…now if it was your family member I’m sure you would make the same decision now all of y’all are judge them but you are not God and you have no right to judge them period sounds like some of you are even jealous but y’all wouldn’t be saying that if your hand was in it ..if you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say anything at all according to 1Corinthian 6:9~13 we all have work to do and those who bad mouth others will not inherent the kingdom of God so please do not say wwjd if u not doing what his law(commandment) say or following each word in his word love your neighbors no matter what they do if someone ran u over what would you do it’s easy to say just pray but let’s be honest because that’s what Jesus would do ….Love you all

  2. Just saying says

    June 22, 2015 at 3:43 am

    As a society there must come a time when we decide that lawsuits become about us and not about the deceased. I totally get that this family is grieving but come on on the legal system is just too incredibly selfish!

    • Confused says

      June 22, 2015 at 10:10 am

      Would Jesus sue? Not likely. What this family should do is forgive and then give their cloak (money) to the family of the guy in prison. These judgemental, vengeful Christians are forgetting to read their wwjd bracelets. What Would Jesus Do?

    • Venice mentor says

      June 22, 2015 at 1:12 pm

      I am truly sorry this gentleman died in this crash and the POX on the drunk diver, but where does the responsibility of the existence, of the individual begin and end?

      Does this mean that, let’s say hypothetically, you gave a party at your house and one of your guests, leaves – proceeded to polish off a bottle of liquor in the car, unbeknownst to anybody. – They then get on the road and kills a group of people – will you as the party giver be responsible? Think about it – You can see what I am getting at, right?!

  3. sierrahwy says

    June 22, 2015 at 1:52 am

    Confused,you are funny as hell lmaooo

    • Confused says

      June 22, 2015 at 2:02 am

      Amen.

  4. Ron says

    June 21, 2015 at 9:25 am

    My first question is how big is this club? People can be very drunk and still walk and act normal. If this is a big place its impossible to watch everbody. Plus you have no idea what bars they were at before that place. Bars are not babysitters. Adults should be their own babysitters.

  5. Jason Zink says

    June 20, 2015 at 7:52 pm

    I’ve tried for years for local officials to place blinking LED and horn signs on the 14 freeway after my friends mom died from a wring way driver on the 14 freeway. Lackey Runner Perris Ledford Knight wake up dummies.

  6. Robert says

    June 20, 2015 at 7:55 am

    If Pate was still that drunk after about 2 1/2 hrs. (Bar closed 2am accident at 3:30am)
    How the heck did Pate even walk out of the bar ?
    If they in fact did at some point have his keys King King should be partly culpable.

    • Tim Scott says

      June 20, 2015 at 10:32 am

      The lawsuit says “they had his keys” in a way that suggests they had taken them because he was drunk…but the club has valet parking so it is far more likely that they took them and returned them in the normal course of business…if they actually had them at all.

    • Confused says

      June 21, 2015 at 7:40 am

      Culpable means to blame. Judge not. Why blame anyone? Let’s just forgive. This family is just trying to get money instead of storing up their treasures in heaven.

      • wow says

        June 21, 2015 at 3:29 pm

        confused You are disgusting

        • Confused says

          June 22, 2015 at 8:41 pm

          I’m being judged! You all saw it! Judge not lest ye be judged!

  7. Foxy says

    June 20, 2015 at 6:44 am

    If the pastor was coming from San Diego and the otherone from Hollywood how they crash head to head

    • Tim Scott says

      June 20, 2015 at 10:34 am

      Apparently the guy got off at Escondido Canyon for some reason (I can think of a couple possibilities) and then got confused and went up the offramp when he tried to get back on the freeway.

  8. Confused says

    June 19, 2015 at 4:56 pm

    Trust in God and He will provide. Lawsuits are for the worldly. Prayer is all that is needed.

    • Tim Scott says

      June 19, 2015 at 5:36 pm

      Maybe god is trying to provide them with a fat check via the lawsuit.

      • Hmm? says

        June 19, 2015 at 6:04 pm

        There has to be increased liability for valet service. Observing someone who obviously should not be on the road and giving the keys to them is much worse than a bartender over serving.

        • Confused says

          June 19, 2015 at 7:20 pm

          God will punish the wicked. We should forgive and not blame others. Let us pay. I mean pray.

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