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Vanessa Bryant: "My life will never be the same without my husband and daughter."
Photo: Rich Fury / WireImage / Getty Images
Vanessa Bryant, the widow of the injured basketball player Kobe Bryant, is suing the Los Angeles District and the local police.
The question is whether first responders at the scene of the accident passed photos of Kobe Bryant and other bodies.
In addition to Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, the pilot and six other people died in the crash in January 2020.
A statement by the American superstar's widow revealed, according to a report in the New York Times, previously unknown details.
Questioned by a lawyer who represents the Los Angeles district, Bryant now described how the day of the crash went from her point of view - and how she learned of the death of her husband and daughter.
"My life will never be the same without my husband and daughter," she said accordingly.
According to the newspaper, the morning of the unlucky day began for Vanessa Bryant by staying at home with two children, while one daughter attended a college prep class and Kobe Bryant, 41, went to a basketball game with daughter Gianna, 13 opened.
Around 11:30 a.m., a family assistant told her that Gianna and Kobe had been involved in a helicopter accident and that five people had survived the crash;
Vanessa Bryant assumed that Kobe and Gianna were among the survivors.
When she tried to call her husband, "RIP Kobe" messages appeared on her phone.
It was only hours later that she officially learned of the death of her husband and daughter.
First, she tried to book a helicopter to get to the crash site - which was not possible due to the weather.
She was then driven to a police station near the crash site, where no one wanted to answer questions about her husband and daughter.
After a long wait, a pastor entered the room, followed by Alex Villanueva, the Los Angeles district sheriff, who confirmed her death and asked if he could do something for her. “And I said, 'If you can't bring my husband and baby back, please make sure no one photographs them. Please secure the area
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«, says Vanessa Bryant according to the »New York Times«. Villanueva promised her that, to which Bryant replied, “'No, you need to pick up the phone immediately and see that the area is secured.
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« Villanueva promised her that too shortly afterwards.
Bryant wants the people who took the photos to be held accountable.
"The effects of the helicopter crash were so devastating that I just fail to understand how someone can have no respect for life or compassion and instead use this opportunity to photograph lifeless and helpless people for their own sick pleasure," she said.
The clothes that Kobe and Gianna Bryant wore on the day of the crash, they had secured, out of concern that people would take photos of them.
"You suffered a lot," said Vanessa Bryant.
"And when their clothes reflect the state of their bodies, I can't imagine how someone could be so numb and show no consideration for them or their friends and just share the pictures as if they were animals on the street."
One of the points of contention, according to the New York Times, is whether the county should allow Vanessa Bryant and other plaintiffs to undergo psychiatric evaluation - to see if they really suffered emotional stress as a result of the shared photos.
Vanessa Bryant's attorneys argue that such investigations are "cruel".
Bryant himself says, "I shouldn't have to go through this."
The accident had caused consternation around the world.
Kobe Bryant is considered one of the best basketball players in history.
He played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the US basketball league NBA from 1996 to 2016 and set numerous records.
skr / AP