Mother of 2 young brothers killed in Westlake Village crash testifies in civil trial
VAN NUYS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The mother of two young boys who were struck and killed in a Westlake Village crash testified Tuesday in the civil trial against a socialite and a former Dodger pitcher in connection with the 2020 collision.
Nancy Iskander took the stand in the trial against Rebecca Grossman and Scott Erickson.
The lawsuit filed contends that Grossman and Erickson had cocktails and the two later engaged in a speed contest along Triunfo Canyon Road until they reached a crosswalk and the children, Mark and Jacob Iskander, aged 11 and 8, were struck at about 80 mph in a 45 mph zone.
Nancy, who was visibly emotional, described the impact of the loss on her family during Mother's Day.
"This year was extremely hard ... my daughter, who is seven, she made me a card at school," the mother said. "She put a pink heart, and she put in it 'Mark and Jacob. Happy Mother's Day, mom.' It just hit really hard, because to her, for her to get any smile from me, she had to write 'Mark and Jacob' in her card."
She also shared memories of her sons. She described Mark as "the heart of the home."
"He was the only kid who would make sure I would get a present from him on Valentine's Day, on Mother's Day and on my birthday," she said as she held back tears.
Last week, her husband and the boys' father, Karim Iskander, took the stand, recalling his son Mark's last birthday before the fatal crash.
"He picked to spend a day at the beach with his friends and I," he testified. "We spent the day -- it was amazing. When I came back, I told my wife I had so much fun, I want to do this all the time -- at least monthly, because it was just a fun group of young boys."
Karim described his life as perfect until the day of the crash. He recalled running to Mark's lifeless body, trying to resuscitate him and then watching Jacob die in the hospital.
"We came back without Mark and Jacob forever," the father said.
He described Mark as an academically gifted boy with great emotional intelligence who dreamed of becoming a brain surgeon and comedian. He called Mark his best friend several times and said he had a gift for understanding people.
The father described Jacob an effortlessly cool and athletically gifted child.
"He would always say, 'I will be your protector, mom, don't worry about anything in life, I am here for you,'" he said.
Karim said the family has never been the same, and they've sought counseling for their son who witnessed the tragedy when he was 5. Karim said he also tried therapy.
"There is nothing, nothing, that any human being can say that can make things better," the father said on the stand.
The civil suit was filed in January 2021. The lead plaintiffs are Nancy, Karim as well as son Zachary. Along with Grossman and Erickson, they are suing the socialite's husband, Peter Grossman.
In their court papers, the Iskander attorneys contend that the 62-year-old Grossman tried to flee the scene and likely would have succeeded had her vehicle not automatically shut down due to it sensing the massive impact that had just occurred.
In March, a panel of the Second District Court of Appeal upheld the conviction of the Grossman Burn Foundation co-founder.
Grossman was found guilty Feb. 23, 2024, of two counts each of second-degree murder and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one count of hit-and-run driving.
She was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
This is a developing story. This article will continue to be updated as more information becomes available.
City News Service contributed to this report.
