Driver Charged In Crash That Killed 2 Children In Park Slope Crosswalk
PARK SLOPE (CBSNewYork) - The woman police say drove her car through a Brooklyn crosswalk and killed a 1-year-old and 4-year-old child, leaving several others injured, has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and assault.
Dorothy Bruns, 44, of Staten Island, told investigators she has multiple sclerosis and had a seizure before running the red light on March 5.
Police said she was driving her sedan westbound on Park Slope's 9th Street near 5th Avenue when her vehicle struck a group of pedestrians, including a pair of mothers - each with a child in a stroller.
Killed were 1-year-old Joshua Lew and 4-year-old Abigail Blumenstein.
The girl's mother is Tony Award-winning actress Ruthie Ann Miles.
A memorial for the children was held in Park Slope in March.
"No parent should ever, ever lose their kids in this fashion," said State Sen. Jose Peralta. "The driver who killed these two little angels had four speeding violations in a school zone in one year."
In the past, medics had been dispatched to Bruns' home numerous times following 911 calls that she needed emergency medical help. A background check of her driving shows she had about a dozen traffic violations against her since 2016, including speeding and running red lights.
"She is the last person that should've been in a car," prosecutor Craig Esswein said Thursday.
Prosecutors said a doctor told Bruns more than once not to drive.
"She didn't listen for whatever selfish reasons and she continued to drive. And unfortunately, two families lost children because of the defendant's selfishness," said Esswein.
Bruns' attorney disputed that, saying his client had been given the OK to get behind the wheel.
"The defendant was given a letter from that neurologist, clearing her for her regular activities," defense attorney David Jacobs said.
Residents and politicians have called for more fixed-view traffic cameras in school zones and drivers be held more accountable, reports CBS2's Dave Carlin.
