Advocates demand safety at deadly Park Slope corner

Two children struck and killed on 5th Ave. and 9th St.

March 12, 2018 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

A pedestrian stops to view the makeshift memorial at the Park Slope corner where two small children lost their lives on March 5. Eagle photos by Paula Katinas

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Park Slope residents and elected officials came together Friday morning at the busy intersection where two young children were tragically mowed down by a car in a gathering designed to pay tribute to the tiny victims and to demand action to make the corner safer for pedestrians to cross.

Days earlier, on March 5, two children, 4-year old Abigail Blumenstein and 20-month old Joshua Lew, were struck and killed while crossing the street with their mothers at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Ninth Street.

Abigail’s mother Ruthie Ann Miles and Joshua’s mother Lauren Lew were seriously injured in the tragedy, police said. Miles, a Tony Award-winning actress, is pregnant, police said. Her baby was not harmed. Miles won the Tony for Featured Actress in a Musical in 2015 for “The King and I.”

A 46-year-old man was also injured in the accident, police said. He is expected to recover.

No criminal charges have been filed against the driver, Dorothy Bruns, 44, of Staten Island. The New York Times reported that police are investigating the possibility that Bruns suffered a seizure behind the wheel of her white Volvo. Her car was caught on camera running red lights on four previous occasions and was recorded speeding in a school zone, according to the New York Daily News.

It’s not clear, however, if Bruns was driving the car when those violations took place.

Many of the advocates and lawmakers standing on the corner on Friday said legislation is necessary to help safeguard pedestrians navigating New York City’s heavily trafficked intersections.

Eric McClure, co-founder of Park Slope Neighbors, said it’s time for action.

“Whatever the investigation into Monday’s horrible crash concludes, it’s clear that someone who racks up eight dangerous-driving violations in a nine-month period, or who suffers from a condition that may cause grave harm to others, should not be behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. We need the state to be able to intervene in these situations before, not after, such drivers cause death or injury,” said McClure, who is also executive director of the group StreetsPAC.

The scene of the fatal crash has been turned into a touching memorial to the two deceased children. The sidewalk outside the Chase Bank on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Ninth Street is filled with hundreds of flowers, candles, prayer cards and stuffed animals.

Someone taped a handwritten note to a wall reading, “For Abigail and Joshua, may you rest in peace sweet angels.”

The person also drew a heart on the note.

Elected officials said they’re determined to do something to try to prevent future tragedies.

“After the tragic events on Monday afternoon, it is clearer now more than ever that our state must do more to protect pedestrian, bicyclists and other motorists from dangerous drivers,” said Assemblymember Robert Carroll (D-Park Slope).

Someone taped this heartfelt, handwritten note to the wall next to the makeshift memorial.

Paul Steely White, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, endorsed a bill that would increase the number of speed cameras outside of schools.

The site of the deadly crash is located a block away from P.S. 118, the Maurice Sendak Community School.

“Speed safety cameras are an incredibly powerful tool that have proven to save lives in the few places where they’ve been in effect,” White said in a statement.

A number of legislative measures have been introduced by Brooklyn lawmakers, including a bill that would impose a 60-day suspension on a driver’s license of any motorist who racks up two speeding tickets in a school zone within an 18-month period.

Another bill, introduced by Carroll and state Sen. Jesse Hamilton (D-Crown Heights-Park Slope, Sunset Park), would create a mandatory reporting system that would require doctors to report cases where a patient could suffer from seizures and could lose control behind the wheel of a car. The bill would give New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) the power to suspend the person’s driver’s license.

Councilmember Brad Lander (D-Park Slope) endorsed the proposed legislation.

“While it may be too late to save Abigail and Josh, this legislation would take some of the most dangerous drivers off the road and ensure that no other families suffer a tragedy like this,” Lander said.

Friday’s gathering had a dual purpose, according to Hamilton.

“We stand united today for safety on our streets. We stand united today to honor the memory Joshua Lew, Abigail Blumenstein, and all the other children and adults who have lost their lives or been injured due to crashes. Upholding public safety is a critical part of our responsibility as public servants. Alongside colleagues, advocates, and community residents, we stand united to push forward an agenda the honors the memory of all those injured and lost to deadly crash,” Hamilton said.

“While we mourn the senseless loss of life, we commit to do better by our community,” said Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon (D-Brooklyn Heights-Carroll Gardens).

The tragedy has led to an outpouring of sympathy and support for the children’s parents. Several Broadway stars, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sutton Foster, Audra McDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, and Kelli O’Hara, who starred in “The King and I” and won the Tony for Lead Actress in a Musical, tweeted their support for Miles on Twitter.

A GoFundMe page was set up to raise money for Miles and her grieving family. The page can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/ruthie-ann-miles-fund.

A GoFundMe page has also been established to raise money for Lauren Lew. The link can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/lauren-amp-charles-lew.