Park Slope Crash Kills 2 Kids, Injures Pregnant Woman: Officials

PARK SLOPE, NY — A driver crashed into a group of pedestrians in Park Slope on Monday afternoon, leaving a 1- and 4-year-old dead and their pregnant mother injured, officials said.

The pedestrians were hit by the car about 12:45 p.m. as they crossed the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Ninth Street, according to the NYPD and FDNY.

The 1-year-old boy and 4-year-old girl were taken to Methodist Hospital where they were pronounced dead, according to the NYPD and Mayor Bill de Blasio. A 34-year-old woman was also taken to the hospital with injuries and two other people were treated at the scene, according to police and the FDNY.

Borough President Eric Adams and Councilman Brad Lander tweeted that the children's pregnant mother was among the injured.

"This loss of life is tragic and painful for all of us, particularly those of us who are parents," de Blasio said at an unrelated press conference, adding he lived near the intersection and crossed it many times with his children.

"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 of the car remained on scene and was taken into custody by police, a spokesman for the NYPD said.

The intersection has been the site of several crashes that left pedestrians injured, and one dead, in recent years.

A 41-year-old man died while trying to cross Ninth Street and Fifth Avenue in February 2016 after a hit-and-run driver ran the red light and struck him, DNAinfo reported.

In December of that year, a car jumped the curb at the intersection, slammed into a pedestrian then crashed into a storefront, DNAinfo reported. The incident left four people injured.

After the latest tragedy, a group of residents plan to rally outside the nearby YMCA de Blasio works out in on Tuesday morning to call on the mayor to implement safety improvements to the intersection.

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Image: Lean Finnegan/Twitter, used with permission