People living on the streets in Los Angeles during the coronavirus pandemic suffered a wave of “preventable” deaths, with a total of 1,493 dying, according to a new report. Researchers with the University of California, Los Angeles, together with a collective of researchers about the unhoused, used county coroner’s records to analyze “sudden, violent or unusual” deaths between March 2020 and July 2021. That uncovered 1,493 cases of people who died on the streets and were likely unhoused, with the most likely cause of death being accidental overdose. Those who died in cars, shelters, or hospitals were not included in the count. Disturbingly, 35 percent of the reported deaths occurred on sidewalks, while another 13 percent happened in parking lots. “We’re always hearing about this person or that person passing away and it’s a lot of heartbreak,” Angie Campos, a 36-year-old resident of the Van Nuys encampment, was quoted saying.