Driver Who Killed 2 Park Slope Kids Has License Suspended

PARK SLOPE, NY — The driver who slammed into five pedestrians crossing a Park Slope intersection — killing two children and injuring their mothers — had her license suspended by police, officials said.

Dorothy Bruns, 44, of Staten Island, was stripped of her license by the NYPD days after she crashed into the pedestrians crossing Ninth Street and Fourth Avenue, according to police and Councilman Brad Lander.

The crash killed Joshua Lew, 1, and Abigail Blumenstein, 4, both of Park Slope, and injured their mothers Ruthie Ann Blumenstein, who's pregnant, and Lauren Lew, according to police and GoFundMe pages for the victims. A 46-year-old man was also hurt.

A law enforcement source said that Bruns likely suffered a seizure before the crash, but Lander wrote on Facebook that her record should have kept her off the road in the first place.

"The car she was driving has an appalling record — four failure-to-stop-at-red-lights & four speeding-in-school-zone violations just in last two years — that display a callous indifference to the lives and safety of others," Lander wrote. "From what I can see, her license should have been suspended long ago.

These deaths were caused by erratic and deadly driver behavior, and she must be held accountable," Lander added.

Bruns' license plate was tied to 12 traffic violations in the past two years, but the majority of them were issued by automated traffic cameras and it's unclear if she was behind the wheel for them, a law enforcement source said. Her personal driving record was clear, according to the source.

Lander plans to push legislation to create a CompStat like system to keep track of driving records and keep reckless drivers off the road before a deadly crash.

"Driving is a privilege, and not a right," Lander wrote. "For those with abominable records like this one, licenses should be taken away before they kill someone."

On Monday afternoon, Bruns lost control of her 2016 Volvo S60 and slammed into five pedestrians crossing the intersection, police said. The car kept driving before crashing into an unoccupied car.

The children were taken to Methodist Hospital where they were pronounced dead, police said.

Tony-award winning actress Blumenstein, whose stage name is Ruthie Ann Miles, and her friend Lew were taken to the same hospital in critical condition. A 46-year-old man was also taken to Methodist in stable condition.

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

Bruns was taken to NYU Langone Hospital in stable condition and has not been charged with any crime as of Wednesday morning. Sources told the New York Daily News that she could still face manslaughter charges for the deaths of the children.

The tragic crash led Park Slope residents to rally outside Mayor Bill de Blasio's Park Slope gym on Tuesday morning to call for safety improvements to the dangerous intersection, where several pedestrians were injured and one was killed in 2016.

"These few blocks have been a massive source of injuries," said resident Marcus Pingel, whose wife and daughter were also injured while crossing the street three years ago, at the rally. "It's so often that we have people almost being hit."

Lander wrote that he talked with the Department of Transportation to add improvements like pedestrian islands, protected bike lanes and more to the intersection to make it safer.

"We’ll never know whether a redesign could have saved Abby and Josh from this deadly driving," Lander wrote.

"But we know this intersection was the site of another fatal crash in 2016, and many more crashes and injuries. So we need to act now to prevent future tragedies."

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