Driver In Fatal Park Slope Crash Had Previous Hit-and-Run: Report

PARK SLOPE, NY — The driver behind the Park Slope crash that killed two children crossing the street with their mothers had a hit-and-run in Long Island City months earlier, the New York Daily News reported.

Dorothy Bruns, 44, hit a 28-year-old woman crossing the street near the Queensbridge Houses on Sept. 13 then drove away, the News reported. Officers later pinned the crash to Bruns, but a highway safety sergeant didn't file the correct paperwork for the incident so it never went to detectives for further investigation, according to the paper.

Bruns later told police she didn't know she struck the woman with her 2016 Volvo S60, the News reported.

On March 5, Bruns was stopped at the red-light at Fifth Avenue and Ninth Street when she lost control of her 2016 Volvo S60 and slammed into five pedestrians crossing the street, police said.

The crash killed Joshua Lew, 1, and Abigail Blumensetein, 4, who were crossing the intersection with their mothers, police said. Ruthie Ann Blumenstein, a Tony-award winning actress who is pregnant, and her friend Lauren Lew were injured along with a 46-year-old man.

Bruns reportedly had a history of seizures and heart conditionsand a law enforcement source said she likely had a seizure before the crash. Her car also had 12 violations issued to it in the past two years, including four for running red-lights and four for speeding in school zones, police said.

Officers previously said since they were issued to the license plate it's impossible to tell who was behind a wheel, but Mayor Bill de Blasio later announced a push for new laws to close that loophole.

"You shouldn't be able to hide behind the fact that a car is registered to you but maybe someone else was driving," de Blasio said. "You have to take responsibility for your own vehicle."

Under the proposed law, repeat offenders for speed and red-light cameras would get an increase in price the more they get violations and eventually could lose their vehicle registration if they receive six or more within two years.

A report from Comptroller Scott Stringer found that more than 121,000 drivers got at least five violations from cameras around the city in the past 26 months, with some pulling in more than 50 in that time period.

Another proposed law would require doctors to notify the state Department of Motor Vehicles if a driver has a medical condition that could cause them to lose control of their vehicle and give the DMV the power to revoke their license.

Image: Leah Finnegan/Twitter, used with permission