Lost control of car on Pearl Street and slammed into White Sands

The family of a 96-year-old man who was hit and killed by a runaway car that crashed into his room as he slept in his bed at an assisted living facility in October 2016 has submitted a claim for damages to the City of San Diego.

Randy Gaster, 53, lost control of his white Oldsmobile sedan after running a stop sign at the intersection of Pearl Street and Olivetas Avenue in La Jolla just after midnight on October 25, 2016. Gaster's car slammed into the White Sands assisted-living facility and into the room of Robert Gault, killing him.

Gault was a longtime resident of San Diego and worked as a financial and estate planner. According to Gault's obituary, he helped create the San Diego Aerospace Hall of Fame.

In November of last year, Gaster later pled guilty to vehicular manslaughter in addition to driving on a suspended license and was sentenced to 270 days in jail.

Gault's two sons, Bob Jr. and Michael Gault submitted the claim on March 29. The sons blame the city for their father's death citing poor visibility and for maintaining and designing a dangerous intersection.

The amount of the claim is estimated at over $10,000.