A better way than lawsuits

Saturday marked the fourth anniversary of one of the most shocking

tragedies in Newport-Mesa history: the murders of 3-year-old Brandon

Wiener and 4-year-old Sierra Soto on a preschool playground. The

image of a dilapidated Cadillac crashed in the middle of the

Southcoast Early Learning Childhood Center, an image so out of place

and so deadly, lingers to this day.

Along with the image, the pain remains for many. It is there for

the police and firefighters called to the scene. It is there for the

children who escaped unharmed. It is there for the children and the

school employee injured when the car barreled across that Costa Mesa

playground.

But for none is the pain stronger, more present, than the families

of the two innocent children who lost their lives that day.

The driver of the car, Steven Allen Abrams, was found guilty of

murder and sentenced to life in prison. He is paying for his crime.

We all can hope he continues to pay, each day, for what he did.

This unspeakable, unconscionable act was Abrams’ fault. He is the

guilty party. He is the murderer.

Yet lawsuits filed by the parents of Brandon and Sierra find

others, particularly the school’s former director, Sheryl Hawkinson,

also at fault. Late last month, an appellate court decided the

lawsuits could go forward, overturning an Orange County Superior

Court Judge’s decision from January 2001.

Three years ago, we questioned the need for these lawsuits. Then,

as now, we cannot and won’t question the emotions and agony the

grieving parents have experienced. We wish them as much peace as

possible. But we can, and do, wonder whether these lawsuits are the

appropriate avenues to soothe the aches.

Hawkinson, for one, does not deserve any more pain of her own.

She, too, was a victim of this crime -- illustrated best by the heart

attack she suffered during Brandon and Sierra’s memorial service.

And if the parents’ intent is to make playgrounds throughout the

state safer places -- as Sierra’s mother, Cindy Soto, said after the

appellate court ruling -- why not work with a local legislator and

create a law that would save lives? Preschools should have basic,

strict safety regulations. Helping establish them would be a

wonderful legacy for Brandon and Sierra, one far more honorable than

pursuing a path that will make lawyers rich while hurting more

innocent people.

As we asked three years ago: Why add to the hurt?