> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Injured sunbather has to wait for money
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/injured-sunbather-has-to-wait-for-money/
- Published: 2007-03-20T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T00:16:08.000Z
- Author: Melody Hanatani
- Tags: Environment, Santa Monica, #archive-import

SANTA MONICA BEACH Look both ways before sunbathing on the beach.

An aspiring doctor who was run over by a lifeguard vehicle while catching some rays two years ago is still waiting to cash in on a $600,000 settlement.

The County of Los Angeles Claims Board was scheduled to approve the settlement for the case of Jesse Pace v. County of Los Angeles on Monday morning, but the matter was continued in closed session until April 2, according to county spokeswoman Judy Hammond.

Both parties reached an initial agreement in February and Kevin Boyle, attorney for Pace, sounded surprised when he learned that the matter was continued for another few weeks.

“We were told that it is a formality, but it has taken a while,” Boyle said late Monday morning.

The pre-med student from Lee University in Tennessee, who was 19 years old at the time, was sunbathing alone near Tower 25 on June 28, 2005\. At around 3 p.m., while listening to his iPod and reading, a lifeguard ran over Pace’s left shoulder, chest, abdomen and right hip in a Ford F-150 pickup truck.

The lifeguard stated that she did not see Pace lying on the sand after dropping off a lost child at the lifeguard station, then drove 20 to 30 feet before feeling a bump. The victim sustained a ruptured spleen, which was subsequently removed, and injuries to his shoulder, chest and abdomen, according to a summary of the case by Syna Dennis, the principal deputy county counsel.

At the time of the incident, Boyle was interning at UCLA Medical Center, assisting nurses in the intensive care unit.

“He’s getting along,” Boyle said. “He’s back at school and still wants to be a doctor.”

The concern for Pace at this point is just how much the loss of a spleen might affect his abilities as a doctor, since the absence of the organ will make him more susceptible to diseases.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 20, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/032007.pdf?ref=smdp.com)