Ex-Dodger denies – An ex-Dodgers pitcher testified he never saw Rebecca Grossman admit fault for the SUV crash that killed two boys in 2020.
A former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher told jurors he never saw the moments when Rebecca Grossman struck two young brothers in a Westlake Village crosswalk, even as testimony and prior communications suggested otherwise.
Speaking during a second day of testimony in a wrongful-death civil case brought by the boys’ parents. Scott Erickson said he was driving ahead of Grossman on Sept.. 29, 2020 and had no clear view of what happened in his rearview mirror after he dodged the children.. Erickson. who is also at the center of the case’s claims alongside Grossman. testified that he relied on assumption rather than observation when considering what the crash caused.
The civil trial stems from the deaths of Mark Iskander, 11, and Jacob Iskander, 8.. Grossman was convicted in the related criminal case of second-degree murder and is serving a sentence of 15 years to life in prison.. In the civil lawsuit. the parents also seek to hold Erickson and Grossman accountable. with allegations that both were racing the vehicles on the road that day.. Erickson testified he was not racing.
Jurors heard that Erickson’s testimony directly contradicted earlier account(s) presented at trial.. Erickson previously testified that he narrowly avoided the boys and saw Grossman’s SUV hit them. according to statements relayed by a former teammate.. On Wednesday. Erickson denied that he ever told a friend—retired Major Leaguer Royce Clayton—that he saw the collision after calling him about avoiding the children.
Under questioning by Brian Panish. the lead attorney for Nancy and Karim Iskander. Erickson also denied that Grossman ever admitted fault during years of communication with him.. Panish pressed him about four years of contact through WhatsApp as well as in-person and phone conversations. with Erickson saying he did not know if Grossman told him she hit the boys.
Erickson described an exchange that he said occurred after the collision. He testified that he was on the phone with Grossman and asked whether she saw the children. He said she responded with words that included “The boys …” before the call ended.
He also testified that when both he and Grossman returned to the crosswalk area after the crash, neither of them discussed what she did there. Erickson said he could not recall much of what she told him, aside from that she claimed she never saw the two boys.
Court testimony also focused on what investigators believed about Grossman’s driving and the likely speed of her SUV at the time of impact.. Sheriff’s investigators testified that Grossman was traveling at speeds exceeding 70 mph when she struck Mark and Jacob.. Erickson, however, told jurors that while he was traveling in front of her, he was doing about 50 mph.
In the background of the civil case, jurors heard how the children and their family were crossing the street.. Nancy Iskander testified that she began to cross on inline skates with her youngest son. Zachary. riding alongside her on a scooter.. Mark and Jacob were a little more than an arm’s length behind. both wearing inline skates and moving shortly after their mother began crossing.
Testimony in both the criminal and civil proceedings also addressed alcohol and the vehicle’s safety systems.. After the collision. Grossman’s Mercedes SUV allegedly had a safety system turn off. and the vehicle came to a stop about one-third of a mile down the road.. Testing showed Grossman’s blood-alcohol content was 0.08%—the legal limit in California—three hours after the crash, according to testimony.
Erickson’s account after the crash included what he claimed to have done in the hours that followed.. He testified that after parking at his then-lover’s lakeshore house. he ran back to the scene. found Grossman’s smashed Mercedes. and then watched as she was detained.. He said he watched for “three hours” while she was eventually handcuffed. but he acknowledged that he never told any officers about his role.
Panish later attempted to challenge Erickson’s reliability by focusing on the duration of his watching. Erickson conceded that he was wrong about how long he had observed Grossman once he learned from the attorney that she was taken into custody after about two hours at the scene, rather than three.
The cross-examination also returned to alcohol use, with Panish seeking to frame Erickson as an unreliable witness.. During Monday’s testimony. Erickson admitted that he had been drinking daily for the past 10 years and that he had a martini over lunch during the jury-selection portion of the current trial.
At trial, the narrative of how both drivers arrived that evening was also explored.. Testimony indicated that Erickson and Grossman had been drinking margaritas at a local cantina before they got into their separate vehicles and headed toward Grossman’s home to watch a presidential debate. traveling down Triunfo Canyon Road in Westlake Village.
The case has drawn intense attention because it asks jurors to assess responsibility in a tragedy that has already led to a criminal conviction.. While Grossman’s second-degree murder conviction and prison term remain central to the broader story. the civil trial focuses on what happened on the road. what was known afterward. and whether communications and conduct—particularly Erickson’s—support the parents’ allegations.
Rebecca Grossman Scott Erickson wrongful death trial crosswalk crash Westlake Village Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher
so he just happened to be right there and saw nothing, sure man
wait i thought she already went to prison so why is there another trial happening, like didnt they already do this whole thing already. this is so confusing to me honestly.
this is why i dont trust baseball players period, they all cover for each other and think money gets them out of everything. two little kids died and this guy is up there acting like he was just some random person on the road. and they were racing!! on a regular street with families around. i grew up near westlake and people drive insane out there all the time, this doesnt surprise me one bit. the whole thing is disgusting and those parents deserve every penny they can get from both of them.
ok but wasnt he the one who actually hit them though, i thought i read that somewhere. why is she the one in prison if he was driving the car that hit them. im so confused about who did what in this whole story somebody explain it