Newsgroup: it.arti.cinema
Titolo: Chi si ricorda di Eric Red?

Ricevo da un amico e vi giro:
The twisted tale of Eric Red -- the horror film director who 10 months
ago smashed his Jeep Cherokee into a Los Angeles billiards club, killing
two people, then slashed his own throat in an unsuccessful suicide
attempt -- has some new twists. While the District Attorney's office,
after an investigation, decided not to pursue criminal charges against
Red, a second civil complaint has been filed against the struggling
filmmaker; and his own attorney says at least one more suit is expected.
Meanwhile, court papers filed in connection with Red's response to the
first suit, a wrongful death complaint, claim that Red suffers from
syncope, a condition that causes momentary lapses of consciousness.
The crash occurred last May, when Red's vehicle rear-ended another car
in what at first appeared to be a minor fender bender. The Cherokee then
jumped across Wilshire Boulevard, smashing into the billiards parlor,
where two were killed and six others were injured. Red jumped from the
car and slashed his own throat with a piece of plate glass before he was
restrained, according to news reports of the incident.
Red is best known as the director of TriStar's 1986 cult classic, The
Hitcher. His later films, such as Body Parts, Vindicator and Bad Moon
were far less successful.
In the ensuing months, at least one person connected with the incident
theorized that Red was on a suicide mission to put an end to years of
suffering due to a lack of film work, a botched marriage and financial
troubles. A brother of one of the victims told Inside that the witnesses
he talked to told him Red said words to the effect of: ''I didn't mean
to kill anybody, I only meant to kill myself.'' News reports have also
touched on this theory that Red wanted to kill himself, including at
least one that was filed with the court by Red himself. The article was
filed as part of a request for the judge to note that the DA had
declined to press charges.
Red, however, claims the crash was an accident, the result of his
unexpectedly losing consciousness. Civil court records from the first
lawsuit stemming from the crash show that Red claims to suffer from
syncope, which is caused by a temporary deficiency of blood to the
brain. The director has yet to give his deposition for the civil cases,
and has attempted to get a court order prohibiting his doctor from being
subpoenaed for a deposition on the grounds that the inclusion of his
medical records would invade his privacy. Los Angeles Superior Court
Judge David M. Perez, sitting in Santa Monica, denied Red's order on
Feb. 22.
Red's attorney, John Doherty, said during an interview that he
understands the pain of the families who lost loved ones in the crash,
and sympathizes with their anger. ''But the reality is the guy passed
out at the wheel,'' said Doherty, a partner at Doherty & Catlow. The
attorney said Red had suffered from syncope before, but had never lost
consciousness outside of his home and had not had an episode in years.
Red himself has to rely on the witnesses, as he has no recollection of
the crash, Doherty added.
Above all else, Red feels horrible. ''My God, he was driving a vehicle
that killed two people, and there is absolutely nothing he could do,''
Doherty said. ''He was so distraught, he tried to kill himself.''
Doherty said it was ''patently false'' that Red was on any kind of
suicide mission. Doherty said he was particularly troubled by news
accounts repeating claims that Red was trying to make his exit from life
as gory as his films -- filled with mangled cars, broken glass and lots
of blood. Such stories, he said, get back to the families of the victims
and make them angrier.
Court records also show that Red has offered the injured and families of
the men killed his insurance policy limits in an attempt to settle the
claims. Doherty explained that Red had only minimal coverage through his
insurance and only about $30,000 would be available to split among the
injured and the families. Doherty said his plan from the beginning has
been to try and resolve the claims in the conference room, not in the
courtroom. He said he would rather the injured and the families of the
deceased decide among themselves how to split up the money, but they
have decided to pursue their claims with civil actions, even knowing the
most they could get from a judge or jury is a judgment against Red and
an uncollectable monetary award.
The latest lawsuit was filed March 15 by Jason J. McCourt, a patron of
Q's Billiards on May 31 who was severely injured as a result of the
crash. An earlier lawsuit was filed by the mother and two brothers of
David Roos, who was killed in the collision. Doherty said he expects the
family of the other man killed in the crash, Noah Baum, to file a
wrongful death action, too. All of the claims would be consolidated
together. A trial is currently scheduled for November in the Roos case,
which was filed June 16, but that may be delayed. The injured and the
families have one year from the date of the crash to file lawsuits.
McCourt's attorney, Dennis A. Schoville of Schoville & Arnell in San
Diego, did not return a telephone message. McCourt's lawsuit does not
detail his injuries, but others said it is their understanding that his
injuries are extensive.
However, Brandon Baum, the older brother of Noah Baum, told Inside on
Friday that he did not know if his family would file a lawsuit against
Red. ''It sounds to me like, although it is our understanding (there) is
a good case of liability, there's not many lawyers who want to take it
because he has minimal insurance,'' said Baum, who, like his dead
younger brother, is an attorney. Baum said he would rather leave what
money is available for those, like McCourt, who have ongoing medical
expenses. Baum is a Palo Alto-based litigator specializing in
intellectual property law.
Roos's attorney and Baum both said it was wrong that the District
Attorney declined to press charges against Red, and added that it was
their belief that the police investigation into the crash was lacking.
For instance, witnesses told Baum that the Jeep was accelerating as it
crashed into Q's, after it rear-ended another car and crossed over three
lanes of traffic. Doctors explained to Baum that if a person is
unconscious, their muscles go limp -- they don't extend them to make a
car accelerate, Baum said. Roos's attorney, Ronald J. Sokol, added that
they were also ''still hopeful that there will be a criminal prosecution

 Hitcher.
Sbagliato, era sceneggiatore.