In the aftermath of Rebecca Grossman striking and killing two boys in a Westlake Village crosswalk with her SUV, she did not acknowledge any responsibility for the incident to her partner Scott Erickson, despite a witness’s claim to the contrary, the former Dodgers pitcher testified from the stand on Wednesday.
Erickson, who was ahead of Grossman in his AMG Mercedes on September 29, 2020, stated he did not witness the crash in his rear-view mirror after he avoided the two brothers, Mark and Jacob Iskander, aged 11 and 8.
He was back on the stand for a second day in a civil wrongful death trial filed by the Iskanders against him and Grossman, who has been convicted of second-degree murder for the boys’ deaths and is currently serving 15 years to life in prison.
During the trial, one of Erickson’s acquaintances, former major leaguer Royce Clayton, shared that Erickson had informed him he narrowly missed the boys while driving at a high speed, but also saw Grossman’s vehicle make contact with them. However, on Wednesday, Erickson refuted that claim.
“I didn’t see it; I had to assume that,” Erickson remarked, noting the damage on the front of Grossman’s SUV.
Under rigorous questioning from Brian Panish, lead counsel for Nancy and Karim Iskander, the boys’ parents, Erickson maintained that over the span of four years of communication through WhatsApp, in person, and over the phone, Grossman never admitted fault.
“I don’t know if she told me she hit the boys,” Erickson testified.
Mark, left, and Jacob Iskander.
The 58-year-old World Series champion stated that he and Grossman, 62, returned to the crosswalk following the tragic incident so she could examine the location, but they did not discuss her actions there.
Initially, Erickson denied on the stand that he ever questioned Grossman about what had happened. Later, he said he simply could not recall beyond her remark that “she never saw the two boys.”
During his first day of testimony on Monday, Erickson stated he was on the phone with Grossman post-collision and asked, “Did you see the boys?”
Grossman responded, “The boys …” and then the call ended, Erickson informed the jurors.
Rebecca Grossman, center, with husband Dr. Peter Grossman and their daughter outside a courthouse in Van Nuys on Feb. 14, 2024.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Testimony indicated that Erickson and Grossman had consumed margaritas at a local restaurant before they drove separately to Grossman’s home to watch a presidential debate.
The couple was driving along Triunfo Canyon Road when Mark and Jacob crossed the street with their mother and younger brother at Saddle Mountain Drive. Nancy Iskander testified at the criminal trial that she began to cross on inline skates, with her youngest son, Zachary, next to her on his scooter, while Mark on a skateboard and Jacob, also in inline skates, were a little over an arm’s length behind.
Sheriff’s investigators indicated Grossman was traveling at speeds exceeding 70 mph when she struck the boys. However, Erickson maintained that while he was in front of Grossman, he was driving approximately 50 mph. The civil suit alleges the pair were racing that day, but Erickson asserted to jurors they were not.
Nancy and Karim Iskander, parents of the two young boys killed in a crosswalk by Rebecca Grossman, speak with media on June 10, 2024.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Following the collision, Grossman’s Mercedes SUV’s safety system disabled the vehicle, which came to a halt one-third of a mile down the road. Tests revealed her blood-alcohol content was 0.08% — the legal limit in California — three hours post-accident, according to testimonies from both trials.
Erickson stated he rushed back to the area after parking at his then-partner’s lakeside home, encountered Grossman’s damaged Mercedes, and observed for “three hours” as she was detained and ultimately handcuffed, though he conceded he never informed any officers about his involvement.
Panish, aiming to illustrate a pattern of deceit, had Erickson admit that he did not actually know how much time he spent observing Grossman after informing him she was taken into custody after two hours at the scene, rather than three.
The line of questioning was part of Panish’s strategy to depict Erickson as an unreliable witness with a drinking issue. During testimony on Monday, Erickson acknowledged consuming alcohol daily for the past decade and mentioned having a martini over lunch during the jury selection process of the current trial.
