Grossman, who co-founded the Grossman Burn Foundation, killed Mark Iskander, 11, and brother Jacob, 8, in a speeding car in 2020.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/16402340

California socialite Rebecca Grossman sentenced to 15 to life for killing 2 kids in crosswalk

A wealthy California woman who co-founded a burn center foundation in the Los Angeles area was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison Monday for the hit-and-run killings of two children while they were in a crosswalk more than three years ago.

Rebecca Grossman was speeding when she struck and killed Mark Iskander, 11, and his brother Jacob, 8, while they were in a crosswalk in the Los Angeles-area city of Westlake Village on Sept. 29, 2020.

“The loss of these two innocent lives has devastated their family and our community. Ms. Grossman’s blatant disregard for human life is a stark reminder of the grave consequences of irresponsible behavior behind the wheel,” Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement.

A jury convicted Grossman in February on two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death.

  • Daniel Quinn@lemmy.caEnglish
    838·
    5 months ago

    Congratulations, you’ve put an old woman behind bars. Who wants to bet that they haven’t fixed the street design in the last 4 years to actually prevent this from happening again? Are we to assume that prison is a deterrent here?

    I mean, sure, she killed two kids, she should go to jail, but any street design that would permit the sort of driving that makes killing those kids accidentally is more at fault than the unlucky idiot behind the wheel.

    • RidgeDwellerEnglish
      211·
      5 months ago

      More at fault… are you serious?

      This happened at a residential intersection with easily visible traffic lights and straight roads. This road looks hardly hazardous under normal traffic conditions.

      She was going almost double the speed limit while likely impaired by alcohol. She is well beyond an unlucky idiot.

      • Daniel Quinn@lemmy.caEnglish
        35·
        5 months ago

        I’m not saying that she’s blameless, rather that a design of straight roads and traffic lights ensured that this was going to happen. If it wasn’t an old lady speeding, it would have been a dumb teen on their phone, or a middle-aged man “trying to catch the yellow”. If the road allows for dangerous driving, kids are going to die on it.

    • graymess@lemmy.worldEnglish
      7·
      5 months ago

      It’s weird how much I disagree or agree with different parts of this statement.

      1. She deserves her sentence. She should never be allowed to drive again for running over two children at twice the speed limit, trying to drive away with their blood all over her car as they die on the street. I don’t believe in prison as punishment in general, but she had her chance and turned a mistake into a double homicide. I think a better and much funnier sentence would be only being allowed to use the Metro for the rest of her life.
      2. Yes, the street design is a problem and you’re absolutely correct that if a street allows drivers to go 80 mph, some inevitably will. This can and should be resolved. Narrow the road, add an island, sidewalk curb extensions, there are many options and any could have naturally slowed this maniac of a driver down to a speed where being struck isn’t an immediate death sentence.
    • psud@aussie.zoneEnglish
      1·
      5 months ago

      You’re right, but it’s going to take time to fix America’s roads. Right now the prosecution of people who fail to follow the road rules and cause death and injury will have to do as an example that may make the next reckless person hopefully think twice