Vanessa Bryant has spoken out about how she felt after photos of Lakers star Kobe Bryant’s crash were leaked by several Los Angeles County officers.
According to the BBC, Bryant’s widow testified in the trial over photos taken at the scene of the helicopter crash that killed her husband and daughter on Friday.
Vanessa Bryant filed a privacy and negligence lawsuit against Los Angeles County after first responders allegedly shared photos from the tragic accident. She is suing for unspecified millions of dollars for emotional distress.
During her testimony, Kobe Bryant’s widow stated that the news of the photos leaking left her “blindsided, devastated, hurt, and betrayed.”
Vanessa added:
“I felt like I wanted to run, run down the block, and scream… It was like the feeling of wanting to run down a pier and jump into the water. The problem is I can’t escape. I can’t escape my body.”
Kobe’s widow also stated that she “bolted” out of the house and around to the side so her daughters wouldn’t notice she wasn’t feeling well.
Vanessa stated:
“I was blindsided again, devastated, hurt… I trusted them not to do these things… I don’t ever want to see these photographs… I want to remember my husband and my daughter the way they were.”
A Los Angeles County attorney stated that the photographs were only taken because they were necessary for assessing the crash site shortly after it occurred and that they had not been publicly posted anywhere.
Vanessa, on the other hand, said she is constantly concerned that some photos will be made public. She stated that she fears “being on social media and these popping up” every day, as well as “my daughters being on social media and these popping up.”
Vanessa Bryant also compared the possible distribution of the Kobe Bryant crash photos to COVID, stating that “once it’s spread, it’s gone.”
Kobe Bryant’s widow also stated that the thought of the photos surfacing someday causes her grief and anxiety. She claims the thought keeps her awake at night while she sleeps next to her three and five-year-old children.
She stated that it occasionally causes panic attacks in which she is unable to breathe. She went to see a therapist for about 18 months after the accident but hasn’t seen one since.
Vanessa Bryant also sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department and the Los Angeles Fire Department for allegedly taking and sharing photos of Kobe Bryant’s crash site.
Bryant’s widow claimed that sheriff’s and fire department employees improperly shared images of human remains from a helicopter crash that killed the NBA legend, their 13-year-old daughter, and seven others.
“No fewer than eight sheriff’s deputies at the crash site pulled out their personal cell phones and snapped photos of the dead children, parents, and coaches,” according to the suit.
Vanessa stated that learning of the photos caused her great emotional distress, adding that they exacerbated the loss of her husband and daughter.
On Monday, former Fire Captain Boran Jordan testified, claiming that he was ordered to photograph the crash scene. However, a fire department chief stated that the former fire captain was not directed to do so.
On Tuesday, Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputies Joey Cruz and Michael Russel testified in court about why they showed the photos to others.
They claimed they shared the images to relieve stress. Vanessa Bryant was the prosecution’s final witness, and the defense will present its case next.
Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi Bryant were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020.
When the helicopter crashed, the NBA legend and his daughter were on their way to a basketball tournament at his Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California.
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