THE RECENT Tragically, an automobile accident claimed the life of Nikki Catsouras.
Her family is still troubled by Nikki’s horrible death years later.
Who was Nikki Catsouras?
Nikki Catsouras, an 18-year-old California resident from Ladera Ranch who was injured in a car accident, was born on March 4, 1988.
Lesli and Christo, Nikki’s parents, asserted that they will “never receive closure” over her passing.
We’re just never going to get better,” the distraught father and mother said to PEOPLE.
“We both deal with a lot of anger and sadness and grief.”
Her parents Christo and Lesli, as well as her three sisters Danielle, Christiana, and Kira, are still alive.
What happened to Nikki Catsouras?
Nikki was killed instantly on October 31, 2006, after colliding with her father’s Porsche 911 Carrera.
Since then, pictures from the collision have been making the rounds online.
Lesli remembered, “These trolls were sending the photographs to us, disguising them as anything they could think of.”
“We didn’t know how we could get help. Nobody could help us. Nobody wanted to help us.
“I think at some point, we realized we’re never going to fix this.”
Christos shared his family’s harrowing ordeal: “To this day, I still get pictures emailed to me and our kids.
“I’m someone who wants to take control and eliminate issues as fast as I can to fix things.
He added: “We had hoped that our situation would’ve helped send a message to police, first responders, and the general public, that you can’t do this.
“It’s completely wrong on every single level but this is still happening.
“There’s got to be something put into place. People who do those horrible things should be held accountable.”
Who leaked Nikki’s car crash photos?
The California Highway Patrol and the Catsouras family came to an agreement on January 30, 2012.
After former patrolmen Aaron Reich and Thomas O’Donnell acknowledged to sharing the widely shared video of Nikki’s accident, the victim’s family was given $2.37 million in damages.
Fran Clader, a spokesperson for the CHP, said in a press release that “no amount of money can make up for the suffering the Catsouras family has endured.
“We have reached a resolution with the family to save substantial costs of continued litigation and a jury trial.
“It is our hope that with this legal issue resolved, the Catsouras family can receive some closure.”
The family received compensation for their mental distress brought on by the publication of the pictures, according to their lawyer Keith Bremer.
The CHP brought a sizable sum of money to the negotiation table in an effort to settle this case and eliminate the possibility of a historic decision.
