He saw two boys in the road, sped past them, and looked back. Minutes later, they were dead.

Former baseball star Scott Erickson testified about the moments before his girlfriend's car hit and killed two young brothers in 2020.

When driving, a split-second choice can mean the difference between life and death for innocent people. In this case, two young brothers lost their lives, and the driver ahead says he only saw them for a brief moment in his mirror.

THE TESTIMONY

*LAWYER: **"It, how far were you from the crosswalk when you saw the boys?"

ERICKSON: "Probably 20 to 30 yards."

**LAWYER: **"How fast were you going?"

**ERICKSON: **"Around 50 ish miles an hour."

**LAWYER: **"What did you do?"

**ERICKSON: **"I made the decision to accelerate through the intersection because I felt that was the safest way to get past the boys."

**LAWYER: **"Why?"

ERICKSON: "They were far enough to the left and I did not have enough time to stop. Had I seen them sooner, I would have stopped, but I did not have time."

WHAT HAPPENED

Former baseball player Scott Erickson spoke in court on May 22, 2026. He testified in a lawsuit filed by the parents of Mark and Jacob Iskander. The two young boys died in September 2020.

Erickson was driving his car on Triunfo Canyon Road in Los Angeles. His girlfriend, Rebecca Grossman, was driving behind him in her SUV. She was speeding and impaired when she struck the boys.

Erickson said he was going about 50 miles per hour in a 45 mile per hour zone. He saw the boys in the road just 20 to 30 yards ahead. Instead of stopping, he chose to speed up to get past them.

What the evidence shows

• The speed limit on Triunfo Canyon Road was 45 miles per hour.
• Erickson testified he was driving about 50 miles per hour.
• He was 20 to 30 yards away when he first spotted the two boys.
• Grossman called Erickson after the crash and said "something bad happened."
• Erickson ran back to the scene after Grossman hung up the phone.

THE BIGGER QUESTION

When we drive large, heavy vehicles, we hold the lives of everyone around us in our hands. Why do drivers so often choose to speed up rather than slow down when they see danger ahead?

This case makes us look at how we share our roads and how quickly we react to protect others. We must ask ourselves if our fast-paced lives make us too quick to risk the safety of those on foot.

THE OTHER SIDE

Erickson's lawyer argues that Erickson did not cause the crash and was not racing. Erickson testified that accelerating was the safest way to get past the boys because he did not have enough time to stop.

Based on the evidence, while his choice to speed up is difficult to hear, it is hard to prove he could have stopped in time or knew his girlfriend would hit them.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW

The civil trial will decide if Erickson bears any blame for the deaths of the two brothers. The parents hope this case brings some form of justice and forces drivers to be more careful.

If the jury finds him liable, it could change how the law views drivers who flee or drive near impaired people.