Did preschool hide prior crash?

Greg Risling

NEWPORT BEACH -- An attorney representing the parents of a 4-year-old

girl who was killed on a playground last May said knowledge of a previous

accident at the day-care center may have prevented the tragedy.

Attorney Federico Sayre alleged Thursday that a traffic accident

involving a mail truck several years ago was kept from parents for fear

they might pull their children from classes.

No details about the alleged accident have been released, and whether it

even happened has yet to be confirmed by police or officials from the

Southcoast Early Childhood Learning Center.

Rumors have circulated throughout the neighborhood and among parents

about the purported accident since last May, when a Santa Ana man drove

his car onto the playground, killing 4-year-old Sierra Soto and

3-year-old Brandon Wiener. Five others, including a teacher’s aide, were

also injured.

The news surfaced a day after the parents of Sierra Soto filed a civil

lawsuit against the day-care center, its operators, the property owners

and the driver, 40-year-old Steven Allen Abrams.

Eric and Cindy Soto are seeking damages for the death of their daughter

and claim the school was negligent in protecting the children.

“I had no knowledge this incident even occurred,” said Cindy Soto, who

learned about the accident after Sierra’s death. “Had I known that, she

would have never been there.”

Sheryl and Rande Hawkinson, who run the day-care center, couldn’t be

reached for comment. The lawsuit is the second filed against the school

in as many months. The Wieners also filed suit against the school in

January.

Sayre didn’t know exactly when the accident occurred, but added that none

of the children were hurt.

More puzzling is the fact that the Costa Mesa Police Department doesn’t

have any record of an accident at the day-care center, located at the

intersection of Magnolia Street and Santa Ana Avenue. A computer search

dating back to 1986 revealed no such incident, police said.

It is unclear whether the truck actually jumped the curb and entered the

playground that was surrounded by a chain-link fence. Sayre claims the

people who ran the center at the time approached the property owner --

Lighthouse Coastal Community Church -- about improving safety measures

after the accident, but nothing was done.

“They were rebuffed by the church and no further efforts were made,” he

said.

The Sotos said they decided to file the lawsuit because they believe the

accident should have served as a warning for future problems. They plan

to donate most of the proceeds from a favorable judgment to Sierra’s

Light Foundation, the nonprofit organization Cindy Soto created to

improve safety guidelines at day-care centers and preschools.

“Warnings that are ignored are not acceptable to a parent when looking

into the circumstance surrounding the death of your child,” she said.

“Many times, in order to uncover all the facts and details regarding a

child’s death, parents must take legal action. It is our hope that

through our daughter’s memory and through our actions, this tragedy --

either accidental or intentional -- will never, ever happen again.”

The families that filed lawsuits have drawn criticism from the community,

which rallied around the school and the victims’ parents following the

tragedy.

Some are angered that the parents would sue the school when it seems

apparent that Abrams, not the school, was responsible for the tragic

outcome.

Police believe Abrams purposely steered his car toward the playground

because he wanted to kill innocent children. Prosecutors announced this

week they will seek the death penalty against Abrams.

A concrete wall erected at the day-care center after the crash was a good

addition, according to the Sotos. But it was needed before -- not after

-- anyone had to die, they added.

“We feel that a wall should have been there a long time ago,” said Cindy

Soto.