Families sue after four sorority sisters are killed on Malibu road called death-trap by celebrities like Rob Lowe

The families of the four sorority girls killed on the Pacific Coast Highway have sued California governments over the tragedy, bringing further attention to a road that celebrities and officials have been calling a disaster for years.

Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir, and Deslyn Williams - who all attended Pepperdine University - were struck and killed by a BMW driver along the Pacific Coast Highway in an area known locally as 'Dead Man's Curve' in October 2023. 

In 2015, award-winning actor Rob Lowe slammed Malibu's government for their handling of the PCH after rapper MC Supreme was killed by a drunk driver on the PCH.

'Malibu's leadership has pretty much always been a disgrace. Exhibit A:' he tweeted, quote-tweeting a story about the rapper's death. 

Filmmaker Michel Shane - who produced I, Robot and Catch Me If You Can - created 21 Miles in Malibu in tribute to his daughter Emily, 13, after she was mowed down by a manic driver while walking on the strip in 2010.

Now, the parents of the victims have separately filed lawsuits in the Santa Monica Superior Court against Los Angeles County, Malibu, Caltrans, the state of California, and the California Coastal Commission. 

They claim the entities share liability for the dangerous roadway design and for continuously failing to implement better safety measures, according to ABC 7. 

'For far too long, Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu has been and continues to be unsafe for pedestrians and drivers alike. As a result of the defendants' complacency, far too many lives have been needlessly lost,' the families' attorneys said in a joint statement. 

The families are hoping the lawsuits will force the entities to 'do what they should have done a long time ago, so no more lives are needlessly taken.' 

The four Alpha Phi sisters were killed after the driver, Fraser Michael Bohm, 22, lost control of his vehicle while traveling northbound, causing him to collide with a parked car before striking the students. A fifth person was also hit, but survived. 

Dead Man's Curve - the specific section where they were struck - is a short part of the 21-mile highway between Las Flores Canyon and Carbon Canyon Roads. More than 50 deaths and nearly 100 serious incidents have taken place on that section of the road from 2013 to 2023, according to ABC 7. 

Officials said that there was a Pepperdine fraternity party being held in the area and that the victims had been planning to meet up with others at the time of the tragedy. 

Bohm, who emerged unscathed after the accident, faces four counts of murder, as well as four counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. He was released on a $4 million bond in October 2023 after pleading not guilty to all charges. 

His preliminary trial is set to begin on October 9 at the Van Nuys Courthouse, according to the Pepperdine University Graphic.

His trial is expected to begin in January.

According to her LinkedIn page, in addition to attending Pepperdine, Rolston had also worked as a cheer and gymnastic coach, while Asha Weir was a writing tutor at the school in her spare time.

Peyton Stewart had volunteered at an senior home and completed an internship at TikTok.

Deslyn Williams's employer paid tribute to her in a heartbreaking Facebook post saying: 'When you get the saddest news - 21 miles of devastation - a road full of heartbreak.'