By Lydia Sidham. Bay City News.
A wrongful death lawsuit is being filed on behalf of twin 7-year-old girls whose parents were killed in an accident caused by illegal racing in Redwood City.
A family of four, the parents and the twin girls, were driving home from the girls' grandmother's house shortly before Christmas last year when they were struck by a car moving at 100 mph, instantly killing both parents. , Gregory Ammen and Grace Spiridon. They were less than 10 minutes from their home in San Carlos at the time of the accident.
The twins, Madison and Olivia Ammen, survived and suffered minor injuries.
According to the complaint filed in the lawsuit, two San Mateo County residents, Cesar Salto Morales and Kyle Harrison, were allegedly jogging with each other on El Camino Real in Redwood City, a busy street with a 35 mph speed limit, which he was driving when he crashed.
When they stopped at the same light, Morales challenged Harrison to a race as the two revved their engines back and forth, according to Harrison's account to police, according to the complaint. The passengers in Morales' car, identified in the complaint as ES and JM, yelled at Harrison to goad him into running, while a passenger in Harrison's car yelled at Morales to "go light."
When the light turned green, the two cars sped off to a speed of approximately 75 to 80 mph, according to witness accounts. Morales struck the front passenger side of the Ammens' car as they approached the same intersection, launching their car more than 100 feet.
The lawsuit is filed by Michael Ammen, the twins' uncle, against Morales, Harrison, minor passengers ES and JM, as well as Morales's parents.
Morales's parents, the lawsuit alleges, were aware of their son's "propensity for reckless driving." Since the parents allegedly allowed him to drive the night of the accident despite knowing it, Michael Ammen is suing them for negligent errand.
Michael Ammen is seeking compensatory and general damages against the defendants, as well as any damages allowed under the wrongful death statute and compensation for past and future medical, incidental, household and utility expenses on behalf of the twins.
It is also seeking relief for attorney fees if the defendants are convicted of a felony. His criminal case is still pending in San Mateo County Superior Court.
The process of going through the lawsuit has been "painful like anything else related to this tragedy," Michael Ammen noted.
"It's something we have to relive every day, whether we want to or not," he said. "There are days where we're dealing with the lawsuit and reviving it and there are days where we're trying to get on with our lives and we have to revive it."
Above all, Michael Ammen said he hopes this lawsuit can help prevent more reckless driving accidents from happening.
This case sheds light on the growing problem of street racing in California, said Niall McCarthy, an attorney representing Madison and Olivia Ammen.
"This case stems from a brutal disregard for human life," McCarthy said in a press release. "The Bay Area has an epidemic of people gambling with the lives of others by street racing."
According to a 2022 press release from the California Highway Patrol, they saw an increase in the number of incidents that occurred due to unsafe driving behaviors, including street racing. In the period from January 2021 to September 2022, CHP issued more than 40,000 citations to motorists who exceeded 100 mph.
Last month, CHP launched a campaign called "Thrills That Kill," which is part of an effort to crack down on illegal street racing and sideshows. Over the course of five years, the CHP reported, there were 264 crashes, including 30 fatalities and 124 resulting in injuries, related to street racing and sideshows.
"If we can prevent another crash like this and get parents to talk to their teen drivers about the dangers of getting behind the wheel, that's really our goal," said Michael Ammen.
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