(BBC) – Kobe Bryant’s widow has testified that she had panic attacks after learning that photos of the helicopter crash that killed her husband and daughter were taken and shared.
Vanessa Bryant is suing Los Angeles County after first responders allegedly circulated pictures from the accident.
“I expected them to have more compassion,” she told jurors at her invasion of privacy trial.
Mrs Bryant, 40, is seeking unspecified millions for her emotional distress.
Her husband, basketball legend Kobe Bryant, 41, daughter Gianna, 13, and six family friends died when their helicopter crashed in Thousand Oaks, California in January 2020.
A report by the Los Angeles Times claiming county employees took photos at the crash site and shared them with others has enraged the victims’ families.
Last November, the county agreed to pay $2.5m (£2.1m) over the emotional distress caused to two families who lost relatives in the crash – but Mrs Bryant refused to settle.
Her federal lawsuit was made alongside Chris Chester, who lost his wife Sarah and daughter Payton in the crash.
Sobbing on the witness stand on Friday, Mrs Bryant recalled being at home with her other children when she read the LA Times story.
