Family Fights Ghastly Crash Pics on Web - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Janice · 05-03-2009, 09:33 PM

Family Fights Ghastly Crash Pics on Web

(April 30) -- When Nikki Catsouras died in a car crash, her parents were left to cope with the loss of their 18-year-old daughter. But the tragedy became even harder to bear when they received a gruesome photo of the teen's body.

Now, 2 ½ years after the fatal accident, Christos and Lesli Catsouras are still confronted by horrifying images of Nikki's death that are circulating on the Internet, Newsweek magazine reports.

Nikki was killed in a car crash on Halloween day in 2006, after taking her father's Porsche 911 Carrera without permission. According to police reports, Nikki was traveling 100 mph on State Route 241, near Lake Forest, Calif., when she struck another car and lost control, ultimately slamming into a concrete tollbooth. She died instantly.

As is routine in fatal accidents, the California Highway Patrol took photos of the crash, including gruesome images showing Nikki's nearly decapitated head covered in blood. Authorities never showed these photos to Nikki's family. The coroner said it would be too upsetting for Christos and Lesli Catsouras to see their daughter's body, even to identify it.

But two CHP officers leaked the photos, and the images quickly began circulating over the Internet, turning up on everything from pornography sites to social networking services, Newsweek said.

Even Nikki's grieving father couldn't avoid the pictures. Days after the crash, the real estate developer opened an e-mail he believed was a property listing and found instead a grisly photo of his daughter's body.

Nikki's three sisters have never seen the photos, but the family lives "in fear of the pictures," Christos Catsouras told Newsweek. "And our kids will never Google their name without the risk of seeing them."

The Catsouras family has launched a series of legal fights to try to get the images off the Internet and to promote greater privacy protection on the Web.

With the help of attorney Keith Bremer and a tech company called Reputation Defender, the family first pursued individual Web sites that displayed the photos, issuing them cease and desist orders. Those efforts ultimately proved futile.

They then sued the CHP for negligence, privacy invasion and infliction of emotional harm, in hopes of setting a precedent to discourage leaks in the future. In March 2008, a Superior Court judge called the officers' conduct "utterly reprehensible" but dismissed the lawsuit, saying they hadn't broken the law. The Catsouras family has appealed the ruling.

The family acknowledged to Newsweek that telling their story might have the unfortunate result of prompting some to seek out the crash photos. But they decided to come forward in hopes of saving other families from the pain they've endured.

"The fact is that we will never get rid of the photos anyway," Lesli Catsouras, Nikki's mother, told Newsweek. "So we have made a decision to make something good come out of this horrible bad."

Get the full story from Newsweek magazine.

dawsongirl · 05-03-2009, 10:33 PM

Good God...I hope those dudes were fired.

Out of a cannon.

PZelda · 05-03-2009, 10:40 PM

I think I saw these pictures once.

These guys are total winners, I'm telling you. I second what Cathy said - I hope they fired these guys!

I understand needing to take pictures when it's part of the job, they will most likely be needed down the road to figure out exactly what happened in the accident, how it could have been prevented, what happened to the person(s) involved, etc. But it is NEVER okay to distribute them unless you get an official okay.

Janice · 05-03-2009, 11:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawsongirl

Good God...I hope those dudes were fired.

Out of a cannon.

Nope, suspended with pay.

What they did isn't even illegal! This link has a gallery of pictures of the family, and a more in-depth story.

Newsweek magazine

browneyes106 · 05-04-2009, 12:52 AM

Stuff like this happens a lot. Police stations around the country leak a lot of accident/homicide and suicide pictures to websites and video companies. I heard that in some states accident and homicide pictures are sealed for a certain amount of years. But this case is very complicated to due to the legal issues. Also CHP is well known for the Red Asphalt video series I do wonder if they got permission from families for the pictures and on scene video footage.

dawsongirl · 05-04-2009, 02:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janice

Nope, suspended with pay.

What they did isn't even illegal! This link has a gallery of pictures of the family, and a more in-depth story.

Newsweek magazine

UGH. That's just ridiculous.

Hollow · 05-04-2009, 02:32 AM

some people are refusing to take down the pictures from their web sites because they think they're protected by the first amendment.

something needs to be done about the ever-growing myth that the first amendment legalizes everything.

80sTrivia · 05-04-2009, 04:42 AM

So very gruesome. I feel for the poor family, because this makes a mockery of their child's death...

05-03-2009, 09:33 PM	#1
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,388	Family Fights Ghastly Crash Pics on Web Family Fights Ghastly Crash Pics on Web (April 30) -- When Nikki Catsouras died in a car crash, her parents were left to cope with the loss of their 18-year-old daughter. But the tragedy became even harder to bear when they received a gruesome photo of the teen's body. Now, 2 ½ years after the fatal accident, Christos and Lesli Catsouras are still confronted by horrifying images of Nikki's death that are circulating on the Internet, Newsweek magazine reports. Nikki was killed in a car crash on Halloween day in 2006, after taking her father's Porsche 911 Carrera without permission. According to police reports, Nikki was traveling 100 mph on State Route 241, near Lake Forest, Calif., when she struck another car and lost control, ultimately slamming into a concrete tollbooth. She died instantly. As is routine in fatal accidents, the California Highway Patrol took photos of the crash, including gruesome images showing Nikki's nearly decapitated head covered in blood. Authorities never showed these photos to Nikki's family. The coroner said it would be too upsetting for Christos and Lesli Catsouras to see their daughter's body, even to identify it. But two CHP officers leaked the photos, and the images quickly began circulating over the Internet, turning up on everything from pornography sites to social networking services, Newsweek said. Even Nikki's grieving father couldn't avoid the pictures. Days after the crash, the real estate developer opened an e-mail he believed was a property listing and found instead a grisly photo of his daughter's body. Nikki's three sisters have never seen the photos, but the family lives "in fear of the pictures," Christos Catsouras told Newsweek. "And our kids will never Google their name without the risk of seeing them." The Catsouras family has launched a series of legal fights to try to get the images off the Internet and to promote greater privacy protection on the Web. With the help of attorney Keith Bremer and a tech company called Reputation Defender, the family first pursued individual Web sites that displayed the photos, issuing them cease and desist orders. Those efforts ultimately proved futile. They then sued the CHP for negligence, privacy invasion and infliction of emotional harm, in hopes of setting a precedent to discourage leaks in the future. In March 2008, a Superior Court judge called the officers' conduct "utterly reprehensible" but dismissed the lawsuit, saying they hadn't broken the law. The Catsouras family has appealed the ruling. The family acknowledged to Newsweek that telling their story might have the unfortunate result of prompting some to seek out the crash photos. But they decided to come forward in hopes of saving other families from the pain they've endured. "The fact is that we will never get rid of the photos anyway," Lesli Catsouras, Nikki's mother, told Newsweek. "So we have made a decision to make something good come out of this horrible bad." Get the full story from Newsweek magazine. Attached Images

05-03-2009, 10:40 PM	#3
PZelda Two Valeries! <3 Forum Addict Join Date: Jul 15, 2002 Location: I'm STILL missing NYC. :( Posts: 78,223	I think I saw these pictures once. These guys are total winners, I'm telling you. I second what Cathy said - I hope they fired these guys! I understand needing to take pictures when it's part of the job, they will most likely be needed down the road to figure out exactly what happened in the accident, how it could have been prevented, what happened to the person(s) involved, etc. But it is NEVER okay to distribute them unless you get an official okay.
	__________________ Cheers behind the couch!

05-04-2009, 04:42 AM	#8
80sTrivia Member Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 23, 2002 Posts: 21,714	So very gruesome. I feel for the poor family, because this makes a mockery of their child's death...
	__________________ Perfect Gift Books for Pop Culture Fanatics: Thank You for Being a Friend: A Golden Girls Trivia Book The Bouquet Residence: A Keeping Up Appearances Trivia Book Cooking With the Golden Girls: Fun & Delicious Recipes from a Hilarious Miami Kitchen Love in the Afternoon: The Ultimate Soap Opera Trivia Book The Last Great Decade: The Ultimate 90s Trivia Book Betty White: A Celebration

05-03-2009, 10:33 PM	#2
dawsongirl Member Forum Icon Join Date: Jan 04, 2001 Posts: 53,140	Good God...I hope those dudes were fired. Out of a cannon.

05-04-2009, 12:52 AM	#5
browneyes106 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Apr 01, 2008 Posts: 6,094	Stuff like this happens a lot. Police stations around the country leak a lot of accident/homicide and suicide pictures to websites and video companies. I heard that in some states accident and homicide pictures are sealed for a certain amount of years. But this case is very complicated to due to the legal issues. Also CHP is well known for the Red Asphalt video series I do wonder if they got permission from families for the pictures and on scene video footage.

05-04-2009, 02:32 AM	#7
Hollow Member Forum Superstar Join Date: Dec 16, 2001 Posts: 30,406	some people are refusing to take down the pictures from their web sites because they think they're protected by the first amendment. something needs to be done about the ever-growing myth that the first amendment legalizes everything.