Family files wrongful death suit against Piedmont wealth manager charged in deadly hit-and-run
OAKLAND, Calif. - The family of a man killed in a hit-and-run crash in Oakland lashed out at the suspect Wednesday and sued him hours before he appeared in court on criminal charges.
"My days have become an endless loop of reminders that our son and I are forced to live our lives without Greg," said Angie Brey, the partner of Greg Turnage Jr., 41, who was killed in the Mother's Day crash.
Turnage was the father of their 10-year-old son.
"Timothy Hamano’s actions have inflicted inconsolable heartbreak upon our family that we will never fully recover from," Brey said.
She spoke after Piedmont wealth manager Timothy Hamano, 64, appeared virtually in court at the East County Hall of Justice in Dublin. Hamano did not speak and did not enter a plea to charges of vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run.
"I am here to call on the DA to ensure that Timothy Hamano feels the full weight of his actions, just as our family has," Brey said.
Mina Strickland said her son was born on her birthday and died on Mother’s Day.
"This is a tragedy of selfishness and lack of judgment, a life-changing tragedy due to the irresponsibility of Tim Hamano," Strickland said.
Oakland police say Hamano was driving his Lexus on Park Boulevard too fast when he failed to negotiate a turn near Beaumont and hit Turnage as he was on a sidewalk.
Police say Hamano left the scene on foot, leaving his injured wife in their car with the air bags deployed.
His wife told police that Hamano had been drinking throughout the day. But because police say he left the scene, they could not test his intoxication level.
Attorney Boone Callaway filed a wrongful death lawsuit Wednesday against Hamano in Alameda County Superior Court, accusing him of being drunk at the time of the crash.
"They were playing golf for some period of perhaps hours, drinking beer, then they were at an establishment where they had Bloody Marys," Callaway said. "There was also some wine at the table."
Judge Jacob Blea said Hamano’s actions showed a disregard for human life.
Defense attorney Colin Cooper said his client suffered a concussion after the crash and is a "decent man" who is "unbelievably contrite" about what happened.
Hamano was not charged with DUI. The judge ordered Hamano not to drink alcohol or drive. His bail was set at $125,000. His attorney said he expects Hamano to post bail in about a week and then remain at home under electronic monitoring.