A civil lawsuit has been filed on behalf of twin 8-year-old girls, whose parents were killed in a suspected street racing crash in Redwood City.
The accused drivers are still awaiting trial, but the family spoke publicly for the first time Wednesday to send a message.
“Physically, they’re OK,” said Mike Ammen. “Emotionally, they experience this every day, they have to live through the accident, which they both remember.”
He said his young nieces think of their mom and dad everyday.
Greg Ammen and Grace Spiridon were driving home from dinner in November, when Redwood City police say they were killed by street racers.
Their twin girls, second graders, were in the backseat. They were Injured, but miraculously survived.
Mike said they are just taking it day by day and doing everything they can to support the girls.
“A lot of different triggers around sirens, things that we encounter every day that for them can completely take them out of the present,” he said.
The family has filed a civil lawsuit against the driver -- 17 years old at the time -- the other driver, 23-year-old Kyle Harrison, as well as their parents, and the passengers in both cars, for what they call “recklessly racing.”
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Police say the drivers were going over 80 miles per hour down El Camino Real.
“Here we have parents involved who knew the minor had a suit of car, who knew the minor was engaged in drag racing and didn’t take any action to stop it. We have passengers in a car who are yelling at the driver to blow the light, ‘let’s start racing,” said attorney Niall McCarthy.
Meantime, the criminal part of the case is still working its way through the courts.
The suspects are both in custody and both face second degree murder charges.
The Ammen family hopes the juvenile suspect will be charged as an adult.
The San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaff said he has not made a decision yet.
“There was no intent to kill here, there was no intent to harm. On the other side of it, the harm that was done is so overwhelming and that’s what makes this a difficult decision even for somebody like myself,” he said.
“I think the point for us is to send a message to any family that has a kid that’s learning to drive or that’s of driving age that a vehicle is a lethal weapon in anybody’s hands.” said Mike.
If the juvenile is not tried as an adult, the longest prison sentence he’d receive is seven years. He'd be released by the age of 25.
