Kobe Bryant's widow fears fatal crash photos will spread

Vanessa Bryant says horror overcame grief after learning about pictures disseminated by first responders

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  Kobe Bryant with his daughter Gianna at the WNBA All Star Game in July 2019, six months before they died in a helicopter crash in California. USA Today Sports

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  Bryant celebrates with Gianna after the Lakers' 99-86 defeat of Orlando Magic in Game 5 of the NBA finals in Orlando. Orlando Sentinel / AP

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  A mural of Bryant and Gianna by artist Mr Brainwash in Los Angeles. Getty

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  Bryant sinks a shot in the closing seconds against Orlando Magic in Game 2 of the 2009 NBA Finals, in Los Angeles. AP

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  Bryant, holding the championship trophy, celebrates with teammates Rick Fox, Lindsey Hunter and Shaquille O'Neal in 2002. AP

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  Bryant and Glen Keane accept the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film for 'Dear Basketball'. Reuters

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  O'Neal and Bryant in 2004. Getty

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  Bryant walks towards the tunnel after scoring 60 points against Utah Jazz at Staples Centre in Los Angeles. AFP

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  A man touches a statue in memory of Bryant and Gianna in Calabasas, California, where their helicopter crashed. AP

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  Flowers next to a mural of Bryant in Los Angeles. EPA

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  Bryant dunks on the way to the US winning the gold medal against Spain at the North Greenwich Arena during the London 2012 Olympic Games. Reuters

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  Bryant talks with USA Basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski during an Olympic team practice. AP

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  LeBron James greets Bryant on the court. AP

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  A woman looks up at a mural of Bryant and Gianna in Los Angeles. AP

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  Kobe Bryant celebrates after scoring 60 points in his last NBA game at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles on April 13, 2016. AFP

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  LA Lakers' Bryant flashes the victory sign at a parade in downtown Los Angeles. AP

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  A municipal basketball court in Los Angeles was painted with an image of Bryant. Reuters

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  Bryant and Gianna watch the US national championships swimming meet in Irvine, California. AP

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  Vanessa, Kobe, Natalia and Gianna Bryant at the world premiere of 'A Wrinkle in Time' in Los Angeles. AP

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  Vanessa and Kobe Bryant arrive at the 2018 Oscars in Los Angeles. AP

Kobe Bryant's widow told a court on Friday she was devastated when she learnt first responders had snapped graphic photographs of her dead husband and daughter in the wreckage of the helicopter crash that killed them.

A tearful Vanessa Bryant said she lives in fear of the pictures surfacing on the internet and “constantly being spread”.

“It's like Covid. Once it's spread, you can't get it back,” she said.

The late US basketball player Kobe Bryant and wife Vanessa Bryant attend the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar Party following the 91st Academy Awards. AFP

US basketball star Kobe Bryant and his teenage daughter were among nine people who died when their helicopter crashed into a hillside near Los Angeles, California, in 2020.

Ms Bryant claims she has suffered emotional distress because personnel from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and firefighters took pictures of the scene which they later shared, including at a bar, with friends and other first responders.

She is suing Los Angeles County for unspecified millions of dollars in damages, in a case that has been joined to that of Chris Chester, whose wife and daughter also perished in the crash.

The suits allege negligence and invasion of privacy.

“I was blindsided again, devastated, hurt. I trusted them. I trusted them not to do these things,” Ms Bryant said.

Lawyers say the grisly mobile phone pictures were snapped as “souvenirs” by first responders who had no business taking photos.

Legal representatives for Los Angeles County do not dispute that the photos were taken, but insist they have never been made public and have now been deleted.

Mr Chester told the courtroom in Los Angeles of his disbelief when he learnt of the pictures a month after the tragedy — including that they had been flaunted at a bar and at an awards ceremony.

“I had largely insulated my family from the details” of the crash, he said.

“Now, I thought there would be pictures of the remains on the internet,” he said and added he had instantly warned his sons: “Please don't start googling for them.”

“I'm fearful every day,” he told the jury. “There's been a lot of things that people thought didn't exist that have turned up on the internet.”

Mira Hashmall, representing the county in the civil litigation, said earlier that the case, which began on Monday, hinged on this issue of public dissemination.

“From the time of the crash to now, the county has worked tirelessly to prevent its crash site photos from getting into the public domain,” she said.

“Over two and a half years later, no county photos have appeared in the media, none can be found online and the plaintiffs admit they've never seen them.”

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  In this 1996 photo Kobe Bryant dunks the ball at his high school gym during a practice. Bryant, a five-time NBA champion and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, died in a helicopter crash in California on Sunday, January 26, 2020. AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy, File

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  Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant defends Denver Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups during the second half of Game 1 of the NBA basketball Western Conference finals, in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File

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  Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, top, goes up for a shot between the Boston Celtics' Paul Pierce, left, and Al Jefferson during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Branimir Kvartuc

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  Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) points to a player behind him after making a basket in the closing seconds against the Orlando Magic in Game 2 of the NBA basketball finals, in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

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  Smoke rises from the charred remains of a helicopter on the side of a hill in Calabasas, Calif. where NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant was killed on Sunday January 26, 2020. AP Photo/Richard Vogel

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  os Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher, center, holds the Larry O'Brien Trophy as Kobe Bryant, right, holds the MVP trophy as they celebrate after beating the Boston Celtics, 83-79, in Game 7 of the NBA basketball finals in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

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  Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant flashes the victory sign during a parade in downtown Los Angeles. AP Photo/Richard Vogel

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  A fan pays respects at a mural depicting Kobe Bryant in a downtown Los Angeles alley after word of the Lakers star's death in a helicopter crash, in downtown Los Angeles Sunday, January 26, 2020. AP Photo/Matt Hartman

Relatives of other victims were last year granted $2.5 million in compensation over the photo-taking.

An investigation into the crash found the pilot had probably become disorientated after flying the Sikorsky S-76 into fog.

Bryant is widely recognised as one of the greatest basketball players ever, a figure who became the face of his sport during a glittering two decades with the Los Angeles Lakers.

He was a five-time NBA champion in a career that began in 1996 straight out of high school and lasted until his retirement in 2016.

News agencies contributed to this report