Court OKs lawsuit in preschool murders

Deepa Bharath

The parents of two children run over and killed four years ago when a

man deliberately crashed through their preschool playground fence

said they were pleased with an appellate court’s decision on

Wednesday to let them sue the school for negligence.

Brandon Wiener, 3, and Sierra Soto, 4, were murdered on May 3,

1999, when Steven Allen Abrams rammed his dilapidated 1967 Cadillac

into the crowded preschool playground of the Southcoast Early

Childhood Learning Center. The parents of the two children sued the

school and its former director Sheryl Hawkinson, accusing them of

negligence.

But an Orange County Superior Court Judge threw out that lawsuit

in January 2001. One day after that decision, the U.S. Postal Service

confirmed that a mail carrier ran into the school about three years

before the murders. The parents contended in their lawsuit that the

school, at Magnolia Street and Santa Ana Avenue, could have prevented

the tragedy had they taken the necessary precautions after that

incident.

Pamela Wiener, Brandon’s mother, said on Thursday that the school

and Lighthouse Community Church, which owns the preschool, “had the

duty” to protect the children.

“Had there been an adequate barrier, [Abrams] wouldn’t even have

considered going there,” she said. “He just saw a flimsy fence and

thought to himself: ‘Hey, my big old Cadillac can get in there.’”

Wiener said the weak fence just made the children an “easy target”

for Abrams.

Hawkinson could not be reached for comment on Thursday. But she

has said in the past that she is saddened by the lawsuit.

“The incident literally broke my heart,” she said in an interview

two years ago. Hawkinson suffered a heart attack during the

children’s memorial service.

Cindy Soto, who is a lobbyist for safety at child care centers,

said on Thursday that she has nothing personal against Hawkinson.

Calling Wednesday’s decision in her favor a “positive thing,” Soto

said their lawsuit “makes a statement.”

“Intentional or not, having a playfield that close to the street

was a recipe for disaster,” she said. “Us pursuing this sends a

message to other child care and preschool centers that they are

responsible and accountable.”

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at [email protected].