Park Slopers Demand Fixes After 2 Kids Killed Crossing Street

PARK SLOPE, NY — A day after a driver plowed into five pedestrians in a Park Slope intersection, killing two children and leaving their moms seriously hurt, neighbors rallied in front of Mayor Bill de Blasio's Park Slope gym to demand safety fixes.

On Monday, a 44-year-old woman lost control of her 2016 Volvo S60 and crashed into the pedestrians crossing Ninth Street and Fifth Avenue, then continued driving until she slammed into an empty car, police said.

The crash killed Joshua Lew, 1, and Abigail Blumenstein, 4, who were crossing with their mothers, according to the NYPD. Tony-award winning Broadway actress Ruthie Ann Blumenstein, whose stage name is Ruthie Ann Miles, and her friend Lauren Lew were injured along with a 46-year-old man, according to police and GoFundMe pages set up to support the victims.

"Yesterday's crash was terribly tragic and I kind of felt that business as usual of emails to elected officials or brief interviews with the press wasn't going to be helpful enough," said Doug Gordon, a Park Slope resident who organized the rally, which met de Blasio as he arrived for his morning workout.

"There are a lot of people in the community who want action."

Park Slope resident Marcus Pingel said his wife and daughter were also injured while crossing that street three years ago and he had just left the spot five minutes before the tragic crash on Monday.

"It really hit home for me," said Pingel, 36. "I can only imagine what the families are going through and it's actually awful."

The intersection has long been a dangerous one for cyclists and pedestrians, with several people injured and one person killed while crossing it in recent years.

In February 2016, a 41-year-old man died while trying to cross that intersection after a hit-and-run driver ran the red light and struck him, DNAinfo reported. That December, a car jumped the curb at the intersection, slammed into a pedestrian then crashed into a storefront, according to the website. The incident left four people injured.

Last year, a group of local cyclists complained that the bike lane along Ninth Street was constantly blocked by cars, forcing them to weave in and out of traffic, and called on the city to make a protected lane there instead.

"These few blocks have been a massive source of injuries," said Pingel. "It's so often that we have people almost being hit."

Gordon wants the city to add safety measures found on other troubled intersections — including pedestrian islands — and plans to ask the local community board to support a push for the Department of Transportation to implement them.

"When you look at [the streets] as a driver, I think they invite speeding because they're wide open," said Gordon.

De Blasio, who owns a home nearby the intersection and said he crossed it many times with his own children, called the tragic crash "personal" at an unrelated press conference Monday.

"This loss of life is tragic and painful for all of us, particularly those of us who are parents," said de Blasio "It's another reminder of why we have to redouble our efforts on Vision Zero to work to the day when this never happens to any family."

The driver, identified as Staten Islander Dorothy Bruns, 44, by the Daily News, had 12 violations tied to her Volvo's license plate in the past two years, according to Councilman Brad Lander.

The infractions include four for running red lights and four for speeding in school zones, but it's unclear if she was the driver in all of those cases. She has not been charged by police for the crash.

Friends launched GoFundMe pages to raise money for the Blumenstein and Lew families after the loss of their children, with one pulling in nearly $100,000 in less than 24 hours.

"Ruthie is beloved by her many friends and colleagues in the Broadway and touring communities," fundraiser organizer Jack Stephens wrote. "She is always kind and always has a smile. It is our honor to help her in this difficult time."

Blumenstein has appeared in several on- and off-Broadway musicians, including "Avenue Q" and "Chess," and won a Tony award in 2015 for her performance in "The King and I."

Fellow Broadway stars took to social media to offer support for Blumenstein after the crash.

"This incredible woman of unimaginable kindness and goodness and talent is going through the absolutely unthinkable," actor Ben Platt wrote on Twitter.

"Heartsick for Ruthie and her family,"Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote on Twitter.

Aside from the rally, a group of residents also made a memorial for the families in front of Ninth Street and Fourth Avenue with candles and photos of Miles and her daughter.

Photos courtesy of GoFundMe.com. GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner.