Business & Tech

Woman Attacked by Coyote at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills Is Suing Cemetery

According to the suit, it happened because of insufficient gating and the lack of other preventive measures by cemetery officials.

By City News Service

A woman who says she was attacked by a coyote while visiting her mother's grave at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills is suing the cemetery.

Mari Teroganesian filed the negligence and premises liability suit Oct. 9 in Los Angeles Superior Court against Forest Lawn Memorial Park Association and Forest Lawn Mortuary. She is seeking unspecified damages.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

A Forest Lawn representative did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

According to the Aug. 2, 2012 complaint, Teroganesian was "tending to her late mother's purchased burial plot when a coyote viciously attacked" her.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

According to the suit, it happened because of insufficient gating and the lack of other preventive measures by cemetery officials.

The park also allegedly failed to warn visitors of the risk of being in a cemetery where the wild animals freely roamed, the suit states.

Teroganesian suffered "various severe and permanent injuries" because of the incident, according to the complaint.

Wildlife experts say coyote attacks on humans in general are uncommon. However, in July, a 2-year-old girl was hospitalized after being bitten and dragged by a coyote at a Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Cypress.

Authorities said Klarissa Barrera was about 10 feet from her mother when the animal attacked, dragging her toward some bushes.

The coyote let go of the girl when the mother screamed and lunged, authorities said.

On Monday, Andrew Dickehage was walking to work near Boulder, Colo., when three coyotes assailed the man, biting and scratching him.

He said he fought back with a flashlight and that the attack lasted about 90 seconds. He later received multiple vaccinations against rabies and other diseases.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here