Former Major League Baseball pitcher Scott Erickson has been found liable, along with his former girlfriend Rebecca Grossman, in the deaths of two young brothers who were killed in a horrifying crosswalk crash.
Erickson, 58, spent 15 seasons in the majors and won the 1991 World Series with the Minnesota Twins. But his retirement has been overshadowed by his connection to the 2020 crash that killed 11-year-old Mark Iskander and his 8-year-old brother, Jacob.
On Wednesday, a jury found Erickson and Grossman negligent in the boys’ deaths. The jury awarded $176 million in damages to the Iskander family. Grossman is also expected to face punitive damages, which will be decided separately.
The tragedy happened on Sept. 29, 2020, in Westlake Village, California. Mark and Jacob were crossing Triunfo Canyon Road with their mother, Nancy Iskander, and younger brother when witnesses said two vehicles came racing toward the crosswalk.
Erickson was driving a black SUV and reached the crosswalk first. Moments later, Grossman came speeding through in a white Mercedes, striking and killing the two boys.
Nancy Iskander said she grabbed her youngest son and jumped out of the way of Erickson’s SUV seconds before Grossman’s vehicle barreled through the area where Mark and Jacob had been standing.
Grossman was allegedly driving 73 mph in a 45-mph zone at the time of the crash. One of the boys was struck with such force that he was thrown more than 250 feet.
Grossman was convicted of murder in 2024 for killing the brothers and was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. Earlier this year, a California appeals court rejected her attempt to overturn the conviction, leaving her behind bars.
Erickson was not charged with reckless driving. A misdemeanor reckless driving charge against him was eventually dismissed after he delivered a public service announcement about safe driving.
Last month, Erickson testified in the wrongful death trial and publicly addressed the crash. He told the Van Nuys courtroom that he sped up after seeing the boys in the crosswalk because he believed it was the safest thing to do.
“I stepped on the gas for probably two or three seconds to get through, because I thought that was the safest process,” Erickson testified on May 13.
Across his MLB career, Erickson pitched for the Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees. He retired after the 2006 season.