Woman files claim over loss of smell, taste

A Pasadena woman is claiming the city is liable for a biking accident that caused her to lose her sense of taste and smell.

Janice Campbell, 46, filed a claim with the city Monday, alleging that negligence on its part led to her being struck by a cyclist in a crosswalk in Huntington Beach. A claim is the precursor for a lawsuit. Campbell is asking for an unknown amount of more than $10,000.

She suffered traumatic head injury and lost her sense of taste and smell.

According to the claim, the street lights were incorrectly timed with an insufficient lag time between red lights for traffic and green pedestrian signals.

Campbell was walking in a crosswalk with a green pedestrian signal at Pacific Coast Highway and Brookhurst Street on July 2 when she was hit by a bicyclist going westbound on Pacific Coast Highway, according to the claim.

The intersection in question is under the jurisdiction of the California Department of Transportation, according to preliminary information from the city. The claim is under investigation and no formal action has been taken, city officials said.

— Britney Barnes