SoCal OC Fatal Accident - 996 Cab & a 18 year old Don't Mix

[Dan in Pasadena]

My son just sent this to me -

The Orange County Register

Nicole Catsouras, 18, of Ladera Ranch was killed Tuesday afternoon when her black Porsche 911 Carrera clipped a Honda she was trying to pass on the right at more than 100 mph on the Eastern (241) Toll Road, the California Highway Patrol said. Catsouras was driving southbound near Alton Parkway when she suddenly switched lanes and lost control of the Porsche, CHP officials said, and then cut across the center median, careened across several lanes of traffic and crashed into a tollbooth. The 20-year-old driver of the Honda was taken to a local hospital and treated for minor injuries. The cause of the accident is under investigation.








Edited - pic removed. -Z-man.

That last one gives you an idea of the conditon of the body. I have two pictures of it but didn't upload them. Not certain if the moderators allow that or not and I don't want to offend anyone.
Since we all drive Porsches I WILL upload it if anyone wants to see, but they are gruesome. No discernible person, just hair and gore.

Obviously (I think?) no 18 year old can afford a 996 or 997 Cab so her parents must have given it to her...but I suppose what does it matter? If it had been a Scion she would have driven it the same way.

Also since we drive Porsches this remnds me with additional clarity that we need to enjoy them and keep a lid on them on the public thoroughfaires. I have not always been mindful of that myself.

RIP little girl, and prayers to your parents. God, I can't imagine dealing with this.

[Zeke]

No more pics. That's enough. I've never seen a car wrecked that badly and I worked in a Corvette dismantling yard for about my 3rd job in life. I've seen the dried blood before pooled in the carpets.

Sorry to say what I think, but that's a Darwin award.

[vash]

i am ok without any additional pics. gruesome.

if i ever get blessed (or cursed) with kids, i am taking them to AX school.

[widebody911]

This happened back in December, and there was a big thread on here about it. There was another site with even more gruesome pix. It was her Dad's car, she was apparently pissed off and had been drinking.

Milt is right - this is a Darwin nominee.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Milt, I agree.

My 25 year old son sent it to me. I assume because it was a Porsche or because he worries a little that I might be tempted to drive too fast?
I AM tempted to drive it too fast but I am old enough to really understand what this means.

That an 18 year old was driving this fast and this recklessly coupled with the inappropriateness of the expensive vehicle she was given brings into focus a likely upbringing that (in my mind) are a BIG part of the reason for this outcome. I can't imagine outliving one of my children. Knowing I played such a big part in their demise would eat me up. Like I said before, prayers to the parents. Once the grief subsides and they think of their part in this its gonna weigh so heavy on them.

[Sonic dB]

This story and the gory pics were all over the net 2-3 months ago.

[berettafan]

That is someones little girl. Don't post pics of human carnage.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally posted by berettafan
That is someones little girl. Don't post pics of human carnage.

You'll notice I didn't and haven't?

[Sonic dB]

Like the Anna Nicole Smith thread shows.... when some person dies...it often results in people trying to be funny...posting jokes etc. ha ha.

When this little girl (also named Nicole) died this way... all over
the internet in car forums people were making sick jokes about
"Darwin", "shi- for brains" etc. Just absolutely disgustingly sick stuff. It was unbelievable that about 1/2 of the punks who
posted about this crash had something critical or trying to be funny... It was here, on Rennlist, and in a bunch of other car
forums.

So, personally I was glad to see this topic dropped at the time.
But now it reminds me how few people have any regard for other
people's lives.

So they all just drive around with cell phones to their ears,
Fat, and oblivious to anything going on around them. And,
when someone dies, they make jokes and look for the bad
faults in people, without ever looking in their own mirror to
see what a selfish and warped bastard they are too.

This rant is not directed at you Dan...

[the]

Welcome to 2006!

[Dan in Pasadena]

You're right Sonic. Far too many unfeeling and terminally immature people that have misplaced (lost?) their humanity and fall back on cynicism so easily. Far too little empathy.

I reserve sympathy for those that have suffered with little or no contribution to their own troubles. But empathy certainly costs us nothing and reminds us of our own foibles, errors in judgement and pecadillos. We all have them; everyone of us. So when you can only see the faults of others or think only THEIRS are worthy of Darwin jokes or cruel judgements...better take a look in the mirror. As I said earler, RIP to this little girl and to her parents.

[rammstein]

I feel terrible for the parents. Sucks that the girl was so short-sighted. The one blessing is that nobody else was killed.

[Sonic dB]

She was 18, drunk...got in a fight with her dad...took the keys to his 997
when he wasnt looking...and took off. In her neighborhood, she took
the corner at over 60MPH....one of the neighbors saw it and called the
police cause he knew something was up....but not much longer after that
she was on the freeway, allegedly going over 100, clipped a Honda and
somehow flew across the opposing lane, over the sidewalk into that
toll booth. The other photos from this scene showed not much left of the
little girl. It would have been devastating to have had that happen to
anyone that I know, let alone have to endure mindless internet games
over the photos.

[speeder]

I was actually going to dig up the old thread about this the other day because the LAT had an article about the distribution of these photos on the web and the lawsuit that the parents have against the CHP over it.

Remember when I brought up the question of who might have taken the photos and made them public? How it had to be someone who was there in an official capacity?

Side bar: Does anyone know how to use the #$^%&ing search feature here? I cannot dig up that thread using any of 2 dozen words or combos that I know were in it.......

Anyways, I was right. It was a CHP investigator who took the photos, and "accidentally" released them publicly. The parents and other relatives of this little girl got emails, often disguised as other subjects, with the crash photos sent to them constantly afterwards. I know...., too sick to believe, but true apparently. They are suing the CHP for mega millions and I hope they get it.

[speeder]

Try to imagine that this was your daughter or family member as you read this. Made me want to puke on my newspaper:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-photos4feb04,1,2635254.story

[Sonic dB]

Thanks Speeder for that update.
and the link to the article
I agree with you on the lawsuit.
Hope the parents get revenge
against the stupid mindless cop.

the perversions of this so called society
are enough to depress you if you think
about it too much...

[speeder]

Almost unbelievable, isn't it?

[artplumber]

Originally posted by Sonic dB
She was 18, drunk...got in a fight with her dad...took the keys to his 997
when he wasnt looking...and took off. In her neighborhood, she took
the corner at over 60MPH....one of the neighbors saw it and called the
police cause he knew something was up....but not much longer after that
she was on the freeway, allegedly going over 100, clipped a Honda and
somehow flew across the opposing lane, over the sidewalk into that
toll booth. The other photos from this scene showed not much left of the
little girl. It would have been devastating to have had that happen to
anyone that I know, let alone have to endure mindless internet games
over the photos.

Yeah it was a sad story. And for all of the people wanting to award Darwins, how many times when you were a kid did you do something stupid that could have killed you, and maybe a bunch of other people too? No doubt she shouldn't have been drunk (at 18 or any other age) and mad when she stole the car, but geez, have some pity for the fam...

[berettafan]

Originally posted by speeder
Anyways, I was right. It was a CHP investigator who took the photos, and "accidentally" released them publicly. The parents and other relatives of this little girl got emails, often disguised as other subjects, with the crash photos sent to them constantly afterwards. I know...., too sick to believe, but true apparently. They are suing the CHP for mega millions and I hope they get it.

In this sue happy world there is one lawsuit i hope wins BIG.


BTW,
Dan i thought you had posted a pic as Z has removed one? Sorry if incorrect.

[Jims5543]

This was posted on a Florida Car forum complete with graphis pics of the poor girl. If anything, you hope that it sends a message to kids that speed kills. Although most teens already know they are invincable. The pics kind of remind of the Ferrari pics I saw a couple of years ago where the occupants were scattered amongst the guardrail. It makes you stop and think about the speed you drive at on the street.

Lasting images
Parents fight to clear the Internet of photos taken of their daughter after she was killed in a car crash.
By GREG HARDESTY
The Orange County Register
LADERA RANCH – Lesli Catsouras hasn't opened her e-mails in weeks.

Her husband, Christos, dreads having to use the Internet – fearful of what he accidentally may see.

They have banned their daughters – ages 15, 13 and 8 – from going online.

Losing oldest daughter Nikki, 18, in a car crash on Halloween has been hard enough on the Catsouras family.

Now, their heartache is compounded by outrage.

Graphic accident-scene photos, including close-up shots of Nikki, who suffered massive head trauma, have been leaked onto the Internet.

The images have turned up on hundreds of Web sites and in countless chat rooms and e-mails – from Australia to Italy. The photos often are accompanied by debates about the merits of the images, with many viewers even vilifying the dead teen.

"We're still just starting to deal with Nikki's death, and now this," said Christos Catsouras, 43. "People are sick."

The family blames the leak on the California Highway Patrol, the agency that is investigating the crash. The family has filed a claim against the state as a precursor to a civil lawsuit. The CHP is investigating.

As they continue to grieve, members of the Catsouras family also find themselves struggling to restore some dignity to Nikki's memory – and facing seemingly insurmountable odds to establish some decency in the sometimes insidious, unforgiving grip of the Internet.

The photos are so pervasive, Nikki's 15-year-old sister has stopped going to school out of fear of opening her locker and seeing a photo of her dead sister. She now is being home schooled.

A 12-year-old neighbor who accidentally saw the images is seeing a counselor, according to Christos Catsouras.

Some people have anonymously sent cruel, taunting e-mails to Nikki's relatives – including one to her father that read, "From Dead Girl Walking: Woo Hoo Daddy, I'm Alive."

CHALLENGE
A CHP official in Sacramento said the agency cannot discuss the claim filed by the Catsouras family and said the issue of the leaked images remains under investigation.

"We're trying to find out if these are our photos and, if they are, how they were made public," CHP spokesman Tom Marshall said.

Accident-scene photos are meant only for investigative purposes. CHP policy and the state vehicle code forbid them from being distributed publicly.

The CHP is sending notices to operators of Web sites that have posted the images, demanding that they immediately be taken down.

"We certainly do feel sorry for the family," Marshall said.

The Catsouras family has hired a company, Reputation Defender, also to demand that Web site operators remove the offending pictures.

The Catsouras family may face an uphill battle in trying to control use of the pictures on the Internet, said Brian Daucher, a civil litigator and partner with the Costa Mesa office of Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton who specializes in Internet-related litigation.

"Unfortunately, the law is not always great at regulating human decency," said Daucher, who is not involved in the Catsouras case.

Rights that protect a living person against defamation or invasion of privacy don't necessarily extend past death, Daucher said.

The pictures of Nikki's body also have turned up in at least one class for DUI offenders in Orange County, even though alcohol did not play a factor in the 1:45 p.m. accident, according to the CHP.

Toxicological and autopsy reports are pending, the coroner said.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving strongly opposes the use of gory or graphic images.

"The gore factor doesn't necessarily translate to behavioral changes," said Gail Butler, executive director of the Orange County chapter of MADD. "It would be nice if things were that easy."

One Internet expert theorized about why people would view and circulate such images.

"In the online world, a person can be totally disconnected from the consequences of their actions," said Nancy Willard, executive director of the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use in Eugene, Ore.

"They can have no empathy. They can't see the harm being done."

FREE SPIRIT
By all accounts, Nikki was not the rich, spoiled partygoer who got drunk and crashed a Porsche given to her by her father – a fiction circulating online.

"She was a sweet, wonderful girl who never hurt anyone," said her mother, Lesli Catsouras.

Nikki had just started taking classes at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. She had a passion for photography.

Nikki actually loved thrift stores and wanted to buy a beat-up '80s car, Johnson said.

In its claim, the Catsouras family cites emotional distress, loss of earnings and loss of consortium and seeks punitive damages, said attorney Tyler D. Offenhauser of Bremer Whyte Brown & O'Meara in Newport Beach.

"These images were posted solely for their 'shock and awe' value, without any consideration whatsoever for the feelings of the family," Offenhauser said. The 911 calls also are circulating online, he said.

The Catsouras family found out about the photos a few days after Nikki's funeral.

One of her cousins, Zoe, 19, got a text message on her cell phone.

When she opened it, she saw thumbnail images of the accident scene – one of Nikki shown slumped over and still strapped into the driver's seat, most of her head and face missing – and threw her phone down in shock.

The night before she died, Nikki had gotten into an argument with her father about "typical teenager stuff," Christos Catsouras said.

He disciplined her by taking away the keys to her car.

Nikki's mother said her daughter wasn't feeling well Oct. 31. She had a 3 p.m. appointment to see a doctor.

Christos Catsouras had lunch at home that day. He works five minutes away at a real estate office.

He recalled telling Nikki before he went back to the office that he loved her. She blew him a kiss and flashed him a peace sign.

After he left, Nikki walked to a key rack in the house and took the keys to her father's $150,000 Porsche – which Nikki had never driven, her father said.

The keys were hanging where they always were, with all the others.

Lesli Catsouras heard the garage door open and the car leave and called her husband, who called 911. He immediately drove around looking for her.

Nikki had taken off down the Eastern (241) Toll Road in his black 911 Carrera.

As she tried to pass a car that was going about 70 mph, she clipped it and lost control of the Porsche, the CHP said.

She slammed into a toll-booth building at Alton Parkway in Lake Forest.

Christos Catsouras' mind continually goes back to his last moments with his daughter.

Every day, he said, he kisses his daughters goodbye.

That day, he didn't kiss Nikki. In an interview, his eyes welled up. He fell silent.

Lesli Catsouras sat next to him, staring blankly ahead, her arms tightly crossed.

"She was our child," she said.