A thorough investigation into a deadly 2015 pedestrian accident on Shoppers Lane in Santa Monica, where a friend of Hollywood philanthropist Doris Duke was struck by a private car and killed, revealed that the speed limit on the street was set at 30 miles per hour and the vehicle that struck her was traveling at 40, according to Santa Monica police.
Jude Vaughn, 50, a longtime friend of Duke, died after being struck by a BMW driven by Ivo Delic, 35, an employee of Duke’s.
Although Ivo Delic was charged with felony vehicular manslaughter and felony hit-and-run, a report from the Santa Monica Police Department ruled Delic’s actions as “operator error,” determined that he was driving at about 40 miles per hour when he struck Vaughn and found that his visibility was “limited by his defective lighting and inability to see his collision.”
According to the statement, Delic had left his parked BMW on the street and entered the driveway in front of his home to retrieve a coffee from his kitchen. Vaughn was wearing dark clothing and holding a bottle of prescription pain pills. It is unclear if he had a med-alert on his wrist.
The police report determined that Delic was allegedly speeding and and began to chase Vaughn who was moving away from the BMW, and did not have his seat belt on. The police report also found no evidence that Delic was texting or on his cellphone.
Vaughn died from blunt force trauma to the head and torso, the report states. In addition to second-degree murder, Delic also received sentences ranging from five years probation to three years in state prison.
Duke was an active philanthropist and creator of the Los Angeles Children’s Charities Fund, and donated to the United Nations.
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