For the remaining family of Kobe Bryant, Tuesday’s settlement of a prominent lawsuit against Los Angeles County adds some degree of closure to one unfortunate aspect of their tragedy: the existence of first-responder photographs of a helicopter crash scene and the bodies contained therein.
Two of those bodies were that of NBA Hall-of-Famer Bryant, along with his 13 year-old daughter Gianna. They were travelling to a youth basketball game with seven others when their helicopter went down during poor visibility in January 2020, killing everyone on board.
Kobe’s wife, Vanessa Bryant, and her three remaining daughters agreed to a $28.5 million settlement that included restorative and punitive damages.
It was established that several first-responders, including police and firefighters, snapped gruesome photos of the bodies amidst the wreckage before sharing them with colleagues, family, and friends.
The defendants claimed the photos were taken for investigative purposes, but that went out the window after they were shared mostly with people who had no connection to the investigation.
We’re three years on from the crash but grief is a hard thing to shake. At least now, so far as those pictures are concerned, there can be a certain measure of relief for the family.
NEWSMAGRENFREW 