A tragic crash in Brooklyn, NY on Shabbos claimed the lives of a mother and her two young daughters after a driver, whose license had been suspended, plowed into them following a collision with an Uber. The family had been walking home from shul at the time.
The woman’s 4-year-old son was also hit in the chaos and was hospitalized in critical condition, according to police. In total, nine people suffered injuries in the devastating incident.
The deadly sequence of events began shortly after 1 p.m. near the intersection of Ocean Parkway and Quentin Road in the Gravesend section of Brooklyn. Authorities said a Toyota Camry operating as an Uber and an Audi collided, setting off the chain reaction.
“The bang I heard, it was like an earthquake,” a witness told The NY Post. “It went on for a good 30 seconds. It felt like the world stopped for that second.”
Following the crash, the Audi, driven by Miriam Yarimi, kept moving and barreled into a crosswalk, where it struck and killed the 35-year-old mother and her two daughters, who were just 8 and 6 years old, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press briefing from the scene.
“This was a horrific tragedy caused by someone who shouldn’t have been on the road,” Tisch said at the news conference.
Yarimi, 32, has not been charged at this time. She was transported to NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn.
The Camry driver, a 62-year-old man, was taken to Coney Island Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.
Neighbors said the woman’s husband had remained at home with their baby when the crash occurred.
“My neighbor had to go to the husband and tell him that his wife and two children passed away,” the resident told The NY Post. “He lost two out of four children, yes, in one day. Plus his wife.”
Footage from the aftermath of the wreck showed a body partially visible beneath a crushed vehicle, with bare feet and legs exposed as emergency personnel worked around the scene. Inside an ambulance, paramedics were seen giving urgent care to a child whose arm was held in a sling. Scattered children’s footwear littered the roadway as concerned residents gathered near the wreckage.
One emergency worker was captured on camera, overcome with emotion, kneeling and crying.
Three passengers inside the Uber, an adult and two children, were taken to Kings County Hospital, all in stable condition.
The heartbreaking accident happened on a beautiful, sun-soaked Shabbos afternoon. The temperature had reached 80 degrees as many were walking home from davening.
The names of the victims will be shared by Matzav.com once the relatives have been formally notified.
{Matzav.com}The post TRAGEDY IN FLATBUSH: Gruesome Collision Kills Woman and Two Daughters On Way Home from Shul first appeared on Matzav.com.