Trending this morning is the unfortunate story of 6 year old Tess Burstein‘s death after the young girl came to be fatally run over by an elderly couple in their Toyota Prius as they were returning from grocery errands in the exclusive enclave of Blank Street, Water Mill.
The story is making notable mention on account of one the tragedy of the any young child’s senseless death as well as because of the fact that her parents are privileged New Yorkers, which is something the media world savors. Always.
Explains the nypost: Tess Burstein, 6, whose parents are Closer magazine editor Annabel Vered and UBS Investment Bank honcho Josef Burstein, sprinted across Blank Street in Water Mill around 11 a.m. to meet a pal on the other side.
The young girl never saw the Toyota Prius driven by a 76-year-old neighbor.
“I was in my back yard, and I heard the parents screaming, ‘No! No! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!’ ” next-door neighbor Susan Infantino, 66, told The Post.
“They were blood-curdling screams you know could only come from a parent. … I yelled over, ‘What happened What happened?’ And she said, ‘My daughter just got hit by a car!’ ” Infantino said.
The child’s uncle called the tragedy “the worst thing a father can have on Father’s Day.
How ironic that the child’s uncle has come to believe that his niece’s death is the worst tragedy that could befall Tess Berstein. Not once is the mention (we wonder?) that the worst thing that could happen to a child is the failure of its parents to keep an eye out on our precious children.
The Hamptons are wonderful, serene if you know where to go and what and whom to avoid and one can sometimes fall to the trap that nothing nasty or untoward could ever happen in such an idyllic state. Until it does.
Perhaps the parents had their guard down, merrily enjoying Father’s Day festivities whilst their child came to interestingly play on the road.
But here’s the passage that caught my attention and it should yours as well. Note the elderly couple’s grief, who through no fault of their own (police have not faulted them) have come to be part of this families tragedy and negligence.
Offers Maurice Wittenberg , a retired chemist who was driving the Prius: “I swerved left, but I couldn’t really avoid her. My car hit her, and she went flying and ended up in the middle of the road,”
“I feel it wasn’t my fault, but it’s still a terrible thing to know you’ve killed an innocent little child. It was the worst day of my life,’’
His weeping wife, a retired teacher, said, “Ten seconds more in King Kullen, and she would have been across the street already.’’
And then there’s this via the nypost, the utter audacity makes my tongue bristle:
Tess has a 9-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister, and the young girl “was inconsolable no matter what I said,’’ Infantino said. “She wanted to know if the man [who hit her sister] was going to get a ticket.’’
Does that somehow explain in part what went on this Sunday? The air of entitlement, even at the behest of the children who have even now come to believe the elderly couple deserve a ticket for what came down to a child’s innocent indiscretion and two individuals failure to keep their eyes out on their child and to teach them what they can and can never do- and that includes never crossing roads without adult supervision. A lesson that the Burstein’s will have a lifetime’s worth of guilt to contemplate. So much for privilege…
Christopher, You are a sick fuck. But some day, you will get yours. Karma’s a bitch- particularly to judgemental, self serving losers like yourself. Your writing is mediocre at best, which one can only assume is the reason you have to resort to this kind of inflammatory article. Hoping an elderly and nearsighted driver soon crosses your path.
So instead of responding with “you’re right, I’m sorry, there’s clearly no bias in those sentences and I was wrong,” you show yourself as a misogynistic loser. Nicely done.
Who is as entitled to his opinion as you are to yours.
You’re a really shitty writer. You should find a husband, squeeze out a few pups and watch them, and leave the writing to people who know how.
He was, the police report stated as much.
No, actually, it isn’t.
You are so tough, with your handle and your attitude.
I guess instead of entertaining everyone else’s children in their luxurious back yard with the pool, they should have been watching their *own* child.
Not sure how shoving a baby out of your enormous vagina changes that fact.
She did not hear the Prius, I am sure. They should add some noise to them. They are dangerous to the blind as well. This author needs a dose of empathy.
JMC, your comment was very inspiring and quite heartfelt. I would never would wish anyone to be in the position you found yourself being in and the resulting terror and pain that caused you.
In the end this story saddens me quite deeply and i am in mourning for what has happened to this young child.
Truly one of the most difficult stories i have canvassed and it’s thoughtful provocative dialogue with such readers like you that allows us to grow, even if we disagree on certain instances.
Life is indeed bittersweet and again my deepest condolence to the Burstein family. I can not fathom their pain and i am truly saddened. Sometimes being a writer/commentator is such a heartless task….
Christopher.
I have read every comment about this article. I do think some parts of the article are over the top but it is his opinion. This is how I feel…my heart hurts for the little girl, who will never grow up and become a woman…get married or have babies of her own.
I feel empathy for all involved but also think it is ok to question judgement/decisions. We are human, we learn from others successes, failures and tragedies.
I am a parent; my children are 11&14 and I still make them hold me hands crossing the street. I am obsessive about stranger danger, pool safety, play ground equipment, etc. When other people have my kids I also make sure they care for them as I do.
Of course the parents should have been watching her more closely…but that is one horrific punishment/consequence for poor judgement, a mistake. One that I am positive they wish they could take back.
As per the retired couple that were driving the car…my heart hurts for them as well. Shortly before I had children I was driving in a residential area, 5 mph below the speed limit and before I could react and a child (8 years old) collided with the side of my car near my front tire. People started screaming, the mother tried to attack me, and all I was trying to do was see if the boy was ok. Fortunately, he was…he lived, no broken bones…only small cuts and bruises. The family tried to sue me for years…they were not successful.
I will never forget this moment, they way it felt, the noise. When you hit a person it is not like hitting an animal. It is pure terror, and you don’t forget. You blame yourself even if it was not your fault. It stays with you always.
Like I always teach my kids…every action has a reaction, good or bad.
The parents actions that day, that moment, unfortunately created a chain of events that destroyed many lives…including their own. I hope God can bring them comfort…they certainly don’t deserve this kind of pain.
This article is atrocious. We know the Bursteins and they are amazing, attentive, hands-on parents who love their children tremendously and have been diligent in teaching them how to be safe, respectful human beings. Sadly accidents happen and this one is was tremendously tragic for everyone involved but there is no one to blame. The only person who should feel remorse is the author of this article for being judgmental with very few facts.
I mean any parent/adult who lets a child cross a street by themselves, ALONE, as you describe in your post, is an idiot.
Any parent who lets a five year old cross the street is an idiot and not very responsible, I don’t care how quiet and devoid of traffic the street is. It only takes one car, you should quit trying to defend these two. Had they of been paying attention, little Tess would still be alive and breathing. Your parents sound irresponsible too from what you describe.
You are so off the mark here. I grew up out there. Crossing the street to
go to a friend’s house without my mom holding my hand was something I did from the time I was 5 years old. We simply said, mom I’m going to so and so’s house and we went. She’s probably crossed that same street hundreds of times without incident. It has nothing to with inattentive parents or privilege; it’s something that can happen in any neighborhood in any town in suburbia. A child is excited and forgets the rules…and it ends in tragedy. Are her parents so much less deserving of your sympathy because they have money and “social status” Would you be writing this trash if Tess was the child of Jane and John Smith of Water Mill NY? No, you wouldn’t even care, they wouldn’t be worthy of your manufactured indignation. A child lost her life, it could have happened to any child. It could have happened to me as a child running across the street, playing kick ball in the street, jumping rope in the street. That’s what kids used to do on my street, in the village of Southampton, NY. Your name suits you…only a scallywag would take the time to write something so hurtful about people you don’t even know.
We absolutely would have covered it regardless of her parents’ socio-economic status. We are a local paper in a small town and Water Mill is part of the area we cover. A little boy who did not have wealthy parents drowned in East Hampton a few weeks ago and we covered that as well. Regardless of your impression of “The Hamptons,” this is a small town in a close-knit area and we cover all tragedies.
You really have to have a black heart to mock parents due to their status after the loss of their child. Sick. I’m reading this from Holland as I know the aunt of the girl killed as they live here. Therefore, you’re now internationally considered a heartless jerk.
Beautifully said. The time and place for any debate/discussion about the circumstances of such an accident is, in my opinion: much later (if at all) and not via the Internet. I wrote recently about a former colleague, Larry Carroll, who turned the crib death of his two-year-old daughter into a most incredible and inspiring crowd-funding campaign (94K+) for some future, lucky, TBD girl. I hope as part the healing that the Bursteins are able to find their way to something similar, in Tess’ name.
I know the family. They are just the nicest people. Josef is one of the smartest funniest guys I’ve ever met. Annabel is lovely. Both have worked very hard to get where they are today. They are responsible parents, that got very unlucky. My kids, who I watch like hawks, have run away from me when I wasn’t looking for a split second. This unfortunate situation could have happened to me a number of times. RIP young smart beautiful Tess. We love you.
Christopher
It is obvious that your parents were not watching as you were growing up. If they were, you would not have grown up to be what you are: full of hate, no empathy,void of common sense,lacking civility and a pole excuse for a journalist.
Tess, legitimate publications is a vague term. Just because an editor or writer works for the nytimes, presumably a legitimate publication it does not mean that said article is more worthwhile and devoid of editorial slant or conjecture- it what goes on with every publication. As a fellow journalist I know you are aware of this.
As for what is run what counts in most legitimate publications- it is shameful and heresy and the best joke on most thinking individuals. It is by all means the purposeful dumbing down of America, if that is what counts for ‘legitimate.’
Tess with all due respect, please keep to the facts and if you are the ‘credible journalist’ you portend to be you would aspire to raise a critical discussion of said issues as opposed to now joining in the disparaging of a ‘fellow journalist.’
Tess you and I both know this story would not have made the press tape if this child who was unfortunately run over as a consequence of her parents not paying attention (and that is my take but we can disagree given what authorities have presented to date on this issue) you or most other publication would not have covered this story- and that in my part is what disturbs me. To give a ‘pass’ to a gilded editor at an ivory institution. No free passes- she just dropped her guard, and 99% of the time it wouldn’t be a catastrophe, but Tess we are talking about children for crying out loud being allowed to play on the front lawn unsupervised.
As for whether I am a parent or not or what my personal economic status is let’s not go there. Be brave Tess and get the critical thinking quotient up- it is what i believe what writers are supposed to do, not pander to socio economic groups and act as quasi publcists as much of the press in the US is these days- but that’s a separate article.
Chris you are 100% right. The driver was not at fault, that would be squarely on her parents. If they had of been paying attention and not busy entreating/networking with their Upper East Side Manhattan ubber liberal elitist peers, (because you know it is NEVER an entitled liberal elitist fault when anything goes wrong), then this would NOT have happened, and she would still be alive. Furthermore, all this crowd knows how to do is blame blame and BLAME everyone else. I am surprised this is not on MSNBC. All mom had to do was WATCH her daughter, or at least hold her hand if she was there. But I believe she was not EVEN there to do that. If this happened to a child from a Harlem or Brooklyn housing project, do you think posters on here would be so outraged? Of course not, they would not even care. These two are one of their own, so all they can resort to is name calling, attacking, and threatening you w/physical violence for bringing up valid points and arguments; typical hypocrite liberal MO. If the dead child was from a housing project/ghetto, the liberal elite would not care one iota: Wrong color, wrong zip code, wrong parent(s), wrong social and economic status, wrong jobs, wrong schools, wrong amounts or cash on hand, no summer home…the list goes on and on. My condolences to the child’s family; entitled or not. Her parents are going to replay this day in their heads until they take their dying breath. Hopefully, this has taught them a lesson and they will become more diligent when watching their remaining two children.
Chris you are 100% right. The driver was not at fault, that would be squarely on her parents. If they had of been paying attention and not busy entreating/networking with their Upper East Side Manhattan ubber liberal elitist peers, (because you know it is NEVER an entitled liberal elitist fault when anything goes wrong), then this would NOT have happened, and she would still be alive. Furthermore, all this crowd knows how to do is blame blame and BLAME everyone else. I am surprised this is not on MSNBC. All mom had to do was WATCH her daughter, or at least hold her hand if she was there. But I believe she was not EVEN there to do that. If this happened to a child from a Harlem or Brooklyn housing project, do you think posters on here would be so outraged? Of course not, they would not even care. These two are one of their own, so all they can resort to is name calling, attacking, and threatening you w/physical violence for bringing up valid points and arguments; typical hypocrite liberal MO. If the dead child was from a housing project/ghetto, the liberal elite would not care one iota: Wrong color, wrong zip code, wrong parent(s), wrong social and economic status, wrong jobs, wrong schools, wrong amounts or cash on hand, no summer home…the list goes on and on. My condolences to the child’s family; entitled or not. Her parents are going to replay this day in their heads until they take their dying breath. Hopefully, this has taught them a lesson and they will become more diligent when watching their remaining two children.
As the writer of the article you’re referring to, I am taking your claims of bias very seriously. Please email me at [email protected] using your real name for a legitimate conversation, as these are quite strong allegations to throw against a journalist.
These are the only sentences in my article on sagaharboronline that mention the driver at all:
“The driver of the Toyota, Maurice Wittenberg, 76, and his wife Harriet, 76, who was also in the car, were not injured in the crash.”
“Mr. Wittenberg, a retired chemist, and his wife, a retired teacher, are their neighbors in Water Mill.”
I would love to have a discussion with you to figure out where in those sentences you derived bias from.
As one of the first journalists to report on this horrible tragedy, I reported the facts that were given to me by the police department. I did not “spin” any words or blame anyone, so please refrain from insulting my professional credibility.
Also, the above post is not an “article.” It is a blog post. No editor would ever run something like this in a legitimate publication.
I was one of the first reporters to have the misfortune of writing about this tragic accident. I did not blame anyone and I have no allegiances to investment bankers. I do not work for an “elitist journal” and I was not “pandering to the elites of society,” so please refrain from insulting me.
You clearly do not offer your deepest sympathies to the parents, otherwise you wouldn’t be totally exacerbating their grief by posting such horrible hatred.
How can you call yourself a journalist? This isn’t journalism. To associate yourself with a respectable field when all this is is a hating rant disguised as a glorified blog post is absurd.
The only consolation is that you clearly do not have any children and will not be spreading your hate and “awkward questions” to future generations.
This is so insulting. Your grammar and misspelling aside, you should be ashamed of yourself. It’s a pity that people exist in the world who are so full of hate as yourself.
What kind of a person would actually make such malicious, unsubstantiated comments at a time of of a family’s unimaginable loss. Your pathetic agenda reveals a deep hatred of well-to-do people. If this tragedy had happened in a middle class or lower income neighborhood I bet you would not have given it a 2nd thought.
You are an angry person who needs serious help.
Yes, accidents do happen all the time. I would wager that you are far from perfect in this regard and probably have even texted while driving etc. I assume most of us have not had a few close calls over the years. Even in a era of helicopter parenting there is no way to make the world risk free and control every footstep a child takes.
Clearly you are a deeply troubled man to have such contempt for parents who are living every parent’s worst nightmare. Perhaps you have never experienced tragedy. Perhaps you don’t have children. This was a horrible, tragic accident. By definition, an accident is an event that none of the involved parties intended, yet all suffer. Since you don’t have the sense or decency to be ashamed of your article and yourself, the rest of us carry that burden. I pity you that you feel cold contempt instead of compassion for those who suffer tragic loss.
This was an ACCIDENT. Clearly you have a chip on your shoulder for anyone with an education and lifestyle better than yours. You’re a ignorant pig. You want to attack a negligent parent? Attack the idiot who left his toddler in a hot car while he worked. Attack the parent who knowingly brings potentially dangerous animals into their home and then wonder why their children get mauled. Do your research! There are better ways to tear down an individual(s) than attack those suffering from an accidental loss of a child.
The headline of this article is just insane and the article itself doesn’t make any sense! No one is blaming the driver and no one should blame the parents too! Parents are all the same they are rich or not! It’s the most horrible thing to loose a child, to loose your future! If the author thinks it’s parent’s fault that this precious girl was left unattended, he should remember himself at age of six. Was his parents every second around while he was playing outside with his friends? Even though we teach children to be carefull and do not cross the street alone, sometimes they act fearless without thinking about consequences…
Condolences to the family 🙁
This is a disgusting article, you should be ashamed of yourself for blithely taking advantage of an unimaginable tragedy to feel superior.
Again, someone emailing and asking if, out of respect for a grieving family, you would consider taking down a hurtful post? Not censorship. I know you like to think you’re some noble journalist under attack, but you might wanna look up censorship. No one’s censoring you. You’re free to say whatever hateful and idiotic things you want, as you should be. It’s just that whoever asked you to take it down was assuming there was some shred of decency or kindness in you. Clearly that person was wrong.
Re- read the NY Post article and other articles, the underlying tenant is to indeed shift blame and responsibility away from the ‘special editor’ and her special investment banker husband to that of a driver who is besides himself in grief. Where is the respect for this driver and why are elitist journals like the NY Post pandering to the elites of society?
Yes we all make mistakes, yes children have a mind of their own, but ultimately parents are forced to accept responsibility of their children at such a young age.
That is my position and i stand by it and i also offer my deepest sympathies to the parents, for they too are human beings who are feeling the sting of life and will spend an eternity re playing every moment that fateful day….
It was most certainly censorship that was asked. I on the other hand have not censored or blocked one comment on this blog. Even the horrific violent ones seeking and wishing death (yes this is what one can expect in the land of the free) You are all free to agree, disagree of offer your thoughts. I was asked to take down my article and i politely declined and maintained my position. So much for a free society… and such disrespect to the memory of a child.
Yes I am entitled to wonder and ask and explore and raise questions. And so are you. It’s called free speech. I think a long walk around the block might do you good and i do urge you not to threaten the lives of individuals whose views you disagree with. That said a heavy sad day for the parents and family, and as i have reiterated my condolenses to the family. Imagine that to seek the death of an author for raising concerns and i am told we live in a free society. I beg to differ. I do think it’s the parents fault, but that said we all make mistakes, alas and i have just offered my views. No need to threaten the lives of writers you disagree with. MY my- what an interesting crowd we have here ….
No one is or should blame the driver. But I take it you are not a parent. You said basically that the parents did not teach their child not to cross the street. Of coarse they have she was a little girl . Children at that age will out of nowhere forget the rules in a moment..for a moment. Don’t even go there
You mother fucker! Entitlement !
You think YOU ARE entitled to assume that a piece of shit like you would know that it was the parents fault . And that they should have a lifetime of guilt . I just came from her memorial service and her parents are so beyond grief they wish they were dead themselves. You should be happy to hear that. I’d like the opportunity to kick your ass. Please contact me if you have the guts to meet up for me to do so.
Instead of resorting to trolling and bullying (imagine that, wishing the death of a fellow who wrote down his thoughts?) perhaps a pleasant walk around the block might do you some good. Once you have done that perhaps you could come back to the commenting section and offer a thoughtful criticism. I stand by my views, in light of the facts as presented by authorities. Yes children do wander and yes we mustn’t put our children in harnesses 24/7 but my dears we do owe our children caution and the air of responsibility and i suspect the parents gravely erred in this area, and i suspect the air of privilege had something to do with that. But if you must, go ahead, troll and seek death to a writer for speaking his mind. As you can see I have not censored not one comment on this blog- cause i welcome critical thinking, but alas it seems i have attracted more emotion and violence than i could possibly have envisaged.
Christopher, the Consensus is – you are mean and hateful. That IS the general agreement!
I SO AGREE!
TO Christopher Koulouris
Reading this post made me sick to my stomach and made my skin crawl
thinking that there are actually people with such hate and narrow
minded thinking!
You come across as a jealous and small minded…….. animal. or just an ASS!
Children are FAST and there are ACCIDENTS with them all the time! To
blame the mother and father is mean, heartless, and such a rush to
judgement! The parents are suffering and YOU are pouring acid on their
wounds! I PITY YOU! I hope God has mercy on you! I don’t think
you have a clue as to what Mercy IS!!!!! SHAME ON YOU ! SHAME ON YOU!
The man that hit that child KNEW there were children on that street –
Here is something that caught my eye – WHY was the old man driving so
fast on that road where children play, that he couldn’t stop in time
and had to swerve? HE is partly to blame too!
Christopher, two options in my mind. Either you live in a fantasy world where children that are “taught” will universally obey and/or children must be on leashes to keep them from wandering off. Or, you are a pandering thoughtless writer with limited talent who resorts to shock tactics to get attention. I suspect you are the latter. In a world with karma, I would imagine you having one drink too many tonight, stumbling off a curb despite your mother’s admonitions to look both ways before crossing the street, and getting hit by a bus. I relish the idea of your body rotting in the gutter, but we do live in a populous city with emergency services, so the most I can muster is the hope of you being buried in an unmarked grave. Just know that whenever you do die, given the hatred I can see in your heart, there is a strong chance that no one will care to remember any detail of your pathetic existence on this earth. Do the world a favor and consider tying that noose around your neck tonight, so we can go on about the process of forgetting Christopher Koulouris ever existed. You are a small, hateful man, with a small mind.
Christopher Koulouris, you are a spectacular ass. I’m hoping that you are forced to exist on your own low-traffic unimportant blog, as a result of you being blackballed from any legitimate publication or blog that someone might actually read. Disappear into further insignificance, you troll.
Are you kidding me! You have no idea what you are writing about. Were you there ?? Did you see what happened? Do you have children of your own? You think a four year old seeing this and asking about a ticket is a sign of bad parenting? Privilege, you think the parents didn’t work hard for everything they have. Your logic and conclusions are pathetic!!
I wish I could meet you in person and bash your skull!!
Er, no. What writers and journalists used to do was look at facts, not just make horrific allegations based on whatever vile bias happens to be in their heads. But yeah, that’s what bloggers do. Congrats.
Who suggested censorship? A publicist asked out of respect for a family if you would remove an incredibly tasteless and offensive post. Look up the word censorship sometime.
This is the worst thing I’ve ever read. I hope that one day the author never needs the compassion from others that he’s so unwilling to give. You’re not a journalist you’re an internet troll masquerading as one. If this hatred-filled piece of crap is what passes for an article on this site your employers should rethink your employment. Garbage.
This auther is pro-Kardashian and that is why he is anti-Annabel Vered (the child’s mother) because her magazine is geared for intelligent and sensitive readers, not the Kar-day-day’s latest belly-button piercing, or Miley Cyrus’ coated tongue. You’re a seedy one, Christopher.
I just saw Christopher’s FB. LOSER! <- yes, that is in ALL CAPS!
May this beautiful, little child rest in peace in the arms of angels. This is an overwhelmingly tragic incident and for some schmuck to use it for personal gains is beyond comprehension. I would not want to be inside of your creepy little mind, nor anywhere near your hollow soul. SHAME ON YOU!!!
Point NOT well-taken. Olly Blew is a scum butt with no heart and soul.
You’re a pathetic cyber troll! ^^^
Let me take a wild guess as to the author of this article. You are a business rival to Annabel and/or Josef, and are using this tragic event to promote yourself. You’re as low as low can get, and I hope you’re burning down there with Satan.
Anyone can lose a child. Rich or poor. They could use compassion and support now…not insults and blame. I am sure all kinds of things are going through their mind now, including regrets. The only people that say the things in this article are jealous people. Chris I pray this never happens to you.
Anyone can lose a child. Rich or poor. They could use compassion and support now…not insults and blame. I am sure all kinds of things are going through their mind rich now, including regrets. The only people that say the things in this article are jealous people. Chris I pray this never happens to you.
had the parent not been wealthy, they would have been charged with child abuse and put in jail and most like they were not black or latino.
This is completely unacceptable you dirt bag idiot! I hope this doesn’t bring you bad Karma someday. You should take this down you fucking ass hole!!
i’ll ask him to take it down. if for no other reason than because he comes off as a jealous ass. what difference do the parents circumstances make? if the parents had been working a 3rd job at the time, would that have been their fault? if the parents were in wheel chairs would that have been their fault? there is no “protected class” when it comes to tragedy. my heart breaks for this family.
Dude, that’s the wrong house. The Bursteins live a white house with a long, treed driveway in the middle of a very long front yard. Their house does not have a separate garage facing the street. That’s the house next door to the Bursteins. And that’s only one of the many things you got wrong in your piece.
Shame on u, r u a parent? If u r how could u say what u have said, parents live to protect their children but tragic accidents happen as children despite how hard their parents regardless of wealth try to protect them r often impulsive and do not think before acting..this is the worst type of tragedy, only compassion and empathy is necessary, tears in my eyes as I have 2 young girls. Peace and comfort to the family.
Hey poster – Have you considered calling the brands that advertise on this site and asking them for an on the record response to see if they are happy to be associated with this article?
This is a tragedy regardless of who the kid’s parents are – don’t you see that? By writing this you are trampling over the personal tragedy that you clearly can’t even grasp. How would you feel if a friend or close family member of yours died and someone wrote a callous article about it? Have you experienced the loss of a child? Can you even fathom how it must feel? Stop an think. Imagine losing someone close to you at a young age, Please just stop and think try to do the right thing here. It isn’t about censorship or free speech. It is about decency and doing the right thing, there is no shame in being decent. I am not a friend of the family but I am someone who cares.
This article is beyond disturbing. I can’t imagine what this family is going through. Blaming them for the death of their child when this could have happened to anyone, regardless of their wealth or status, isn’t cruel, it’s pure evil. I’m the first one to speak my mind sans filter but, this, this is heartless. The only thing that this family will take away from this article will be even more heartache and guilt. Harness your humanity man. The world’s filed with enough hate, what we need is compassion and love. Respectfully, Sam Jones
I feel so much sorrow for these parents and you cannot put blame on them…I have a 6 yr old and they are children…they sometimes do not think..this happens with all children of different socioeconomic status..my heart breaks for them..please know I am thinking of you…I hope you find peace
Your not worthy of printing this article…The worst tragedy to befall any parent, children are impulsive, that is the only reason this tragedy happened. Of course the daughter thinks the driver was at fault, and
as such in her childish way, thinks a ticket would be given to the driver
The anguish of all involved is what you should be writing about.
I remember a similar incident in my hometown where a kid who darted into the street on his bike was killed by an elderly driver who had the right of way.
But it happened in a residential neighborhood where the maximum permitted speed was 30 mph and the driver was going 50 mph and was fined and criminally sanctioned (he received a suspended sentence because of his age and the parents of the young child won a lawsuit and donated the money to charity)
I would be interested to know if the elderly man who killed this girl was observing the speed limit. Because when you observe the speed limit in a residential neighborhood the chances of serious injury or death when you have an errant pedestrian is much less.
If it makes you feel superior to believe that, go right ahead.
You already have.
And the day you are appointed judge, I will consider your input.
Good for you. So you have articulated your point. You don’t have any idea of the circumstances, but you are judge and jury. Good for you. May you never have a day where you are judged under similar circumstances.
I didn’t ask him to remove it. I asked him to rethink it, and pointed out that the criticism of a four-year-old seems way out of bounds.
I don’t know any of these people, I see what’s there.
I agree with you that the four year old’s comment showed incredible sensitivity and intelligence, and find no fault there. It’s the journalists and their “spin” on her words who should be taken to task.
However, asking the author to remove the article is unreasonable and the first step down a very slippery slope.
Annabel is a wonderful person–I have met and worked with her–and in this time of tragedy, I’m dismayed that you would add to her and her familiy’s sorrow. Mr. Koulouris, you contend that the younger sister of the victim, who asked whether the Wittenburgs be ticketed, is spoiled, and that her question is proof. You do not seem to have factored in that she is only *four years old*. Her question about the ticket is reflective of her very young age, her innocence, and her understandable shock. It does not denote a character flaw. You fault her mightily for laying blame at the Wittenburgs’ feet, though she is a preschooler. Meanwhile, you cruelly lay blame at the parents’ feet, showing a preschooler’s level of thinking as well–less forgivably since you aren’t one, and can grasp the magnitude of what has occurred. Kindly do the humane thing and rethink this post. It is normal to feel outrage at tragedy, but it is reprehensible to compound it by adding harsh criticism of the family, and worse, of one of their surviving children.
How could you look at the death of an innocent child and lambaste the parents for being wealthy. They lost their child…Show some compassion! I am not rich or privileged, but I would never stoop to your level! This is a child, not a lesson.
You are seeing what you want to see. Even in the Posts article there is no accusation. That, and it doesn’t matter that the girl was an editor’s daughter. If that’s why the Post writes about it then that’s fine. At the end of the day, a beautiful little girl is dead. Have a little respect and class, and put your bitterness on the shelf for a bit.
Point well taken, but she was probably a very sweet little girl, no need to call her a brat just because her parents were devastatingly remiss.
You didn’t read many articles, then.
“The elderly driver” has been the subject of innuendo and rude comments in most of the articles. If this girl hadn’t been “A top magazine editor’s adorable daughter,” do you *really* think that the Post would have run an article (WITH photos, including one of their house) about her being struck by a car almost two hours outside of NYC?
It would have been barely a blurb, if it was even mentioned.
And where is this overwhelming accusation of guilt towards the driver? I’ve read articles and subsequent posts about this, and I don’t see any evidence of an attack on the driver. This article is nothing but a front for “I hate rich people.” Read the last 2 lines of the article. Nothing but bitterness and hatred. Then again, I did a quick read of some of the fine things penned by Koulouris. Not a Pulitzer candidate anytime soon.
You have no soul.
And the driver would not be blamed by the media in your neighborhood.
THAT’S the point.
Suggesting censorship is unbelievable. It’s never been “what writers and journalists and bloggers used to do,” stop pretending and sending self-serving emails and accept the fact that neglectful parenting was the direct cause of this child’s death.
Who should be blamed, if not the parents who didn’t keep tabs on their six year old?
The child who obviously was never told the importance of not crossing the street alone?
The innocent driver who was going the speed limit on a public street (and if you read the articles, another car was coming from the opposite direction, there was no way they could or should have seen her)?
Nope. Mom and Dad.
It is a tragedy, to be sure, but the attacks about the “elderly driver” has already begun. Wittenberg is not a scapegoat for parents who were too busy entertaining to parent.
EXACTLY. I posted similar on sagharboronline, the nerve of blaming the law-abiding Wittenberg for the Bursteins’ careless oversight of their child.
He’s 76, she was 6, HE had a reason to be in the street, the child did not.
This family is NOT entitled to have their “peers” vilify an innocent gentleman who broke no laws.
Wonderful article. And with all that money, hiring a nanny to mind the privileged brats should be a no-brainer.
Christopher Koulouris …you deserve pain for writing this trash…may you find it in as many forms as Karma will allow….
Chris, you are a moron. You don’t know anything about the facts here, you aren’t probing any deeper questions, you are just a pathetic loser trying to take advantage of a tragedy to get publicity for your shitty site.
This article is disgusting. These are real people who lost a child. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Seriously??? I have some “not so privileged” neighbors that allow their 3 and 5 year old’s to run around in the front yard. Seen them in the street too many times to count. Also saw their unleashed dog get nailed by a car. This is not a story about privilege, it is a story about a little girl who had a tragic accident. If you want to write articles with thinly veiled hatred of wealthy people, that’s fine. However, to use this story as your ridiculous pulpit is classless and downright ignorant.
Hi Christopher,
My name is XXXX, and I am the publicist for Bauer Publishing. I wanted to reach out about the below article that published on your site.
https://scallywagandvagabond.com/2014/06/tess-burstein-killed-hamptons-car-cause-rich-privileged-parents-werent-paying-attention/
As you can imagine, we are heartbroken for Annabel and her family for their tragic loss. My email today comes to you not as a colleague, but as a very close friend to the family. Of course you are entitled to your opinion but the insensitivity of this particular story is especially hurtful. Out of respect for the family while they grieve, would it be possible to take this story off the site or at the very least cover the news and refrain from including such strong personal opinions? I am asking this as a personal favor as I would do anything to protect the family as they mourn the loss of Tess.
I hope you can understand my concern and will consider taking it down or revising.
– no privilege here folks….. just your ordinary publicist making the rounds for her gilded clientele who refuse to accept responsibility for the accident, their failure to supervise their children and be vigilant, with the children even having the audacity to now assume it’s Maurice Wittenberg’s fault. Yes, let’s give the retired chemist a ‘ticket,’ and a guilt trip, cause he dared to be in the wrong place, wrong time.
It’s sad and I offer my condolences to the family, but please I urge you all to look closer at home and not attack a journalist for raising awkward questions. I’m not a publicist. I am not employed by the Burstein family. I write for the sake of probing deeper questions. It’s what writers and journalists and bloggers used to do, and at least I’d like to keep up that tradition. Feel free to use the comment box and express yours.
The author of this article is beyond sick. Hopefully he gets hit by a car and dies.
Agreed. Blaming the parents for this tragedy is just wrong. This was a terrible accident that has nothing to do with privilege.
Christopher Koulouris shaming people in this way, under these circumstances is just mean and disgusting.
This article is disgusting.