Teen's parents want crash pix off-line

Nicole Catsouras, 18, of Ladera Ranch, California, took her dad's Porsche 911 and crashed into a toll booth at well over 100 mph on Oct. 31.

Photographs of the crash, including close-ups of her shattered body, have circulated on the net. Now her parents, who have three younger daughters, have mounted an effort to compel websites to remove the photos. Many, but not all, have complied.

From the Orange County Register:

• The images have turned up on hundreds of Web sites and in countless chat rooms and e-mails – from Australia to Italy. The photos often are accompanied by debates about the merits of the images, with many viewers even vilifying the dead teen.

Hat tip to reader Vibiana, who sent a link not suitable for the blog, but you can navigate to the photos at Snopes.com. Please don't stick a link in a comment, I don't want to have to delete your comment or the entire post. Thanks, Greg Reeves.

Comments

[The_Golfer]

My question is why were so many web sites showing the pictures in the first place? I shudder to think what these pictures show.

[me2]

What is wrong with people? I didnt see the pictures and I dont want to but that is just disturbing to think that they are there for public viewing. I feel bad for that family.

[chuckie]

Sometimes only a CURRENT photo of an attractive DEAD person and their situation will make any impression on people.

Not good it is that way, but it's reality

[Shua]

I haven't seen the e-mails or what people are saying about the pictures, but I don't think they're there for entertainment purposes. If the pictures are that graphic and someone does see them and read about what happened, maybe the next time some kid takes out their parents car they won't be driving in such excessive speeds

[Vibiana]

Thanks for using my idea Greg.

I have seen the pictures myself. It's not easy looking at a pretty young girl with her head torn off her body, but I have to agree with Shua: maybe somebody who sees them will think twice and slow down.

I took Drivers Ed in the early 1980s when they still showed those car crash movies to the classes. Nasty stuff, but it did make you think.

However, the actions of some people who have contacted the family or harassed the girl's sisters are indefensible.

[x]

Great pictures Greg. I feel bad for the tech that had to pick up that mess.

THe 18 yr old BAC must have been well over .15. I wonder if they showed that picture at Jamie's impact panel.

For all those that love MADD and NHTSA, they will count this as 2 drunk drivers in the FARS database since the driver of the Honda had an empty open container. Count = 2 even though the Honda driver was not arrested for DUI and reporting indicates Honda driver was not the cause of the accident. Keep up the good data collection efforts MADD and NHTSA.

[The_Golfer]

They don't still show the old "Blood on the Highway" films in Driver's Ed anymore? That was half the reasons most guys take the class. We are a sick lot.

[jamie]

Nope, we didn't see that picture at my impact panel. And according to the OC register, the 18 year old wasn't drinking?

Regardless - you are correct - it will become an "alcohol related" death in the NHTSA statistics, since empty containers were found in the Honda.

[jamie]

No more "blood on the highway" films golfer - we must be politically correct now... :)

[The_Golfer]

And when my daughter gets old enough to drive, she will attend the classes, I really wanted her to see the films to make her aware of what could happen. They only believe the parents to a point. My prayers do go out to the family and I hope whomever let the pictures out is properly disciplined.

[bh]

Well I must be a sick one too because curiosity killed the cat and I looked. They are horribe, but I do intend to show them to both of my teenaged boys.

Speed + inexperience = something no family should have to endure.

[onetime]

as gross as that was, I think every 15-16 year in drivers ed. should see it. If drinking was involved or not, it still shows them what stupidity causes. From the looks of the pictures, she ended up with just as many brains as she started with.

[Gary Oldman]

California driver's ed students watch "Red Asphalt." It has been updated to a fifth edition.

Impact? hard to tell. Thanks, to "Jackass," kids think they're indestructible.

[Nate]

While this is in bad taste it's legal.

[aqua]

I feel for the family. This tragedy will be relived daily for them for the rest of their lives even without the pictures being posted on the internet.

[T-Devil]

Kids have felt that they were indestructible long before the Jackass movies came along.

I pretty much know I was bullet-proof until I somehow lost my magic key chain around the age of 21.

If my kids were old enough to be behind the wheel, I'd make them look at the pics too. IT gives me something to look forward to in the next 9 years.

[onetime]

Tape one of the pics to thier visor....they'll remember.

[Cranky Ole Bastard]

While as sad as this is, why would the father or anybody else think they could get these pics to stop being circulated? All he has done is advertised they are out there. I never even knew about this crash or the pics until this article. The damage is done. Remain private and this will be fofgotten by the public. Using the media and threatening law suits will just make the pain worse.

[Kelly]

The sad thing is these horrific pictures won't do anything to make kids realize they aren't indestructible - they will look at these pictures, gasp as how horrible they are and how sad it is....and they will walk away and will still believe it will never happen to them. That's just kids for ya.

[stereo]

I knew person who bought Porsche & returned it after 1 month . Said it was a very powerful engine & had trouble to control it when on the road driving . They are not the average car that most of us are use to.

[bh]

While I feel for the parents for this loss.. and understand why they don't want these pictures out there.. maybe these can be used not only as a message to drivers (teen or otherwise) but also to any parent who feels compelled to allow their "children" to drive or own a high performance vehicle.

I thought seriously about buying a high performance Mustang at one time, but eventually thought the better of it, simply becuase of the fact that I had teens that would someday drive the car (with or without my permission).

I think maybe it's not just the kids who believe they are invincible.

[me2]

Bh..she didnt have permission to take the car. I did look at the pictures, peer pressure I guess and I know that I will not be eating dinner tonight.

[The G]

well, those were possibly some of the worst pics I have ever seen, especially at full resolution....I love Porsche vehicles, and I have always said this will probably be my downfall when I can finally afford one.

[Gina]

OMG is all I can say. I did look at the pics and know wish that I hadn't. May GOD be with this family and May the ppl that have been saying and doing horrible things to this family have their Heads Examined. This dear girl, I only hope her death was fast so she did not have to suffer.

[jack]

I used to own a store that had some videos for sale. One of the companies that regularly called me was, I think I have the name right, "Brain Damage Productions". They bought the rights to footage too nasty to show from TV stations.

Heads flattened like pancakes. Intestines on the pavement. The more hideous the better.

They would build 90 minute videos of these, all to a heavy metal sound track. There were about 20 in the series at the time. I bet there are more by now. They sold really well to teenagers. The more disgusting, the better it sold.

Most teenagers will see these pictures only as entertainment.

[TruthBeTold]

Gina~not to sound gross or mean or anything but from the looks of the pictures, I am pretty sure that she died on impact.

[TruthBeTold]

Also, I agree with Cranky Old Bastard. Most of the people who have seen these pictures now probably would never have if the family wouldn't have put it out there so much.

[All n A Days Work]

WOW! "A hard head makes a soft ass", is what my mom used to say to us.

[larry]

man that was ugly..

[I Know]

Heaven forbid people see reality. Too many people want to live a sheltered life.

Maybe the family could use this opportunity to educate other teen drivers or any driver about the hazards of speeding.

Oh wait, on here, that's just something for the cops to harass innocent people about. It doesn't hurt anybody, does it?

[bh]

I Know.. I doubt you'll find anyone on here who think it's wrong for cops to stop someone doing over 100mph. It's the cops who hide in the bushes to get some unsuspecting motorist just driving to work who happens to go a bit over the limit that I condemn.

Off topic but related to traffic.. (and funny).. you know those Scout signs all over that tax payers paid tons of thousands for, so you can read that it's going to take you 8 minutes or whatever to cross a bridge. It's supposed to speed up traffic.

Now they say that people slow down to read them and it hinders traffic worse. So they are going to add more signs telling you not to slow down to read the other signs.. shheeeesh.. and we vote for these people?

[LonghairedRocker]

Sadly this happens more often and not reported. Blame it on the morbid human curiosity like passing by the bad accident and trying not to look.
What with tv now showing ultimate fighting and more graphic violence than it did in the last 20-30 years for the ratings, this sort've thing happening doesn't surprise me.
Some people, not just kids, are immuned to the violence and death around them

Jack? The movies you speak of are called "Traces of Death" a knock off of the infamous "Faces of Death" video series. Their video footage is taken from drunk driving accidents, war and terrorism as well as criminal violence footage. Much of the footage I believe is kept for training purposes as far as law enforcement and military tactics, but nowadays anything's got a price I suppose.

Sad.

[I Know]

Hiding in the bushes huh? Okay.

The people who glorify violence in video games and reality images don't bother me as much as those who act like they don't exist or are too graphic to view.

What suggestions do you propose for those people who have to works those scenes? Surely you must think its too much for them as well.

If your answer is its their choice to do the job, well you're correct. And its the choice of those other people to view that content. Come out of your shell.

[oh my god, the car]

I was horrified at those pictures...it is a damn shame about what happened to the Porsche.

She is in public and has no expectations of privacy in a car (or splattered alongside a tollbooth), even if she had lived. She has no claim against the websites.

I wonder if there is some sort of reqirement regarding coroner's photos....these are clearly leaked by that office. If there is a duty to keep death photos sealed from mass view, they might be in trouble.

Since any non-natural cause of death results in the coroner being called, I doubt that they have free reign to do what they wish with the pictures.

[garozzo's sugo]

Now I'm hungry for spaghetti and meatsauce.

[ChiefFan4Life]

Ok, I saw the pics and it made me queezy. You never want to see or hear about stuff like that. But really, to all the people that says they feel sorry for the family have got to be crazy. If it was not for her dumbazz dad letting his inexperienced daughter drive a car that she should not be driving, is his fault this whole thing happened. If I had the money and cars that this guy had, my sons would still be driving grocery getter. Now I understand she was 18, but until she can afford a Porshe on her own, then like I said before the blame should go to the father.

[Kelly]

The father didn't allow his daughter to drive the car - she took it without his permission. Did you bother to read the article, ChiefFan4Life???

[BT]

Those pictures were brutal!! I want to know what really happened before she took off in the car. Seems to be a little hole in the story. Did they get in a fight? What set her off to speed down the highway like a maniac?

[kcmo_710]

Unfortunately, she happened to wind up in perhaps the worst possible car to drive in an irresponsible manner. This is essentially a race car that one can drive on the street... as long as they know what they are doing.

[KC]

How many times have you been driving up I-35 or along I-70, and "rubber-necked" at an accident scene? How many times have there been chain-reaction accidents because people are too busy watching what happened instead of watching what they're doing? Everyone has a curiousity about what happened. Everyone thinks something along the lines of "Thank God, it wasn't me." or "That'll never happen to me." or even "What a dumb-ass!"

[Kerri]

I kept trying to talk myself out of looking at the pictures. I even went to the sight and held my hand over my monitor so I couldn't see. I slowly exposed the first pic and then the second and so on. I think it is natural to want to look. And it made me really think about driving, having fights with my teen, wondering what life is all about...
So, while I feel sad for the dad, I think he has only caused more people to see the photos. Perhaps that is what he really wanted to do.

[ls64086]

My heart goes out to the family. I have not seen the photos and I refuse to look at them. When my son died, it was on the news, and it was horrible to for our family see his death on television. Kerri, you have no idea what you are talking about. There is no way that father would want people to see the photos of his dead daughter. I would love to hear the blogs from each one of you who has criticized the family when YOUR son or daughter is dead and the photos are circulating around to haunt you and your family when you are trying to recover from the loss of someone you love.

[Patti]

Agreed Is64086. Kerry, just how small is your monitor? Doy!

[Elisa]

I saw the pictures on Snopes a few days before this story came out. They are just horrifying. I just don't think that pictures of the victim should be posted.

[colleen]

I received this email today, not knowing what to expect when I opened it... with hand over mouth in shock... I closed it and refused to be part of this circulation. This is someone's child and a human life that was tragically taken away.... no matter what mistake was made in this vehicle, it is sad she wasn't given a second chance. WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES!! some more than others and unfortunately we don't all come out learning from them. I didn't stare at the pictures long enough, but what I did see (a glimpse).... disturbed me enough, bringing me to the internet... hoping this was one of those hoax emails.(...keeping in mind I did not look at it long enough to figure it out for myself that it is real) After seeing now through the reports it was a picture of a beautiful young girl by the name of Nicole Catsouras, I feel she deserves and her family deserve to be left at peace.... if you get that email like I did. DELETE IT. We as adults know to educate our children to the best of our ability, newspapers tell these stories every day... let your children read them, look through the obituaries, if you feel the need to scare them from speeding, take a walk through the cemetary and read the headstones of people so young, teach them to respect THEIR LIFE REGARDLESS of how their lives may possibly be shortened. It's not just a fast car mistake that can have the same result. They don't need to see the graphic pictures to teach them to make better choices. God Bless, NICOLE x and to the family you left behind.

[David in KC]

I, too, went and looked at the pictures. I was shocked to see the aftermath of it. My son is 14 and I showed him the pics up to the point of the girl in her car just to let him know if he drives fast, he will pay the ultimate price. I'm sure all of us at that age thought the same thing "Nothing will happen to me." Unfortunately, we will all die sometime.

My problem/question is this: Who publisehed the photo's first? The police dept. or a bystander? That's where I would start my complaint. It's like the Napster and Metallica lawsuit.

[tud]

Too- the fuck -bad. You should have raised a responsible kid, and not spoiled the dumb shit with sports cars and such.

Now, instead of being a good example for others, she can at least serve as a cautionary example. We're just lucky she only killed herself and not the person in the other car she hit or anyone in the toll booth.

Daddy! Buy me a Porsche or I'll just DIE!

[Cindy]

It's so sad. What's even more sad is that she could have killed someone else. Parents...NEVER...leave your keys within view of the kids. For her to take the porche like that means she really didn't have any fear of the trouble she would have been in by her parents. MY father would have beat me! I never would have don't that. Parents need to stop raising their kids to be their friends. Kids better understand what risk really is.

[jen]

does anyone have a link to those photos?

[Doc]

The link to the photo's is still there but the gross ones have been taken off. I saw them, Nasty Photo's, but I agree, should be used in drivers ed for teens that are new to driving, I went to Drivers Ed in the early '80's and saw the films of the accidents of what could happen, They scared the crap out of me enough that I have always followed, be safe, buckle up, don't follow to close and don't be stupid with a car or truck. Driver's Ed should show this kind of stuff just to scare them into being a safe driver. I have been in 1 accident in 30 years of driving which the accident happened when a 18 year old feel asleep at the wheel and rearended me at 70 miles an hour. My wife and I are lucky to be alive. After being hit it was like I was on Ice I turned into the cattailing and maintained going straight. If I hadn't of done this I would of rolled and more than likely have gotten killed.