2 days ago
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A mother and her two young daughters out for a walk were killed after a horrific car crash in New York, allegedly caused by a woman who was driving with a suspended license.
The woman’s four-year-old son was also struck during the incident and was taken to hospital in critical condition. Police said that 10 people in total were injured.
The incident occurred around 1 p.m. on Saturday in the Midwood area of Brooklyn, after a Toyota Camry was struck from behind by a blue Audi A3 at a set of lights, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
The impact of the crash caused the Toyota to be pushed aside, before the second vehicle crashed into the family – the 35-year-old woman, her two daughters, eight and six, and the young boy – and overturned.
“The bang I heard, it was like an earthquake,” a witness told The New York Post. “It went on for a good 30 seconds. It felt like the world stopped for that second.”
According to the Post, the dead woman’s husband was home with their infant child when the crash happened, and was informed of the tragedy by a neighbor.
The driver was identified as 32-year-old Miriam Yarimi, who reportedly had to be cut out of her vehicle following the collision.
It was later confirmed that Yarimi had been driving on a suspended license at the time of the collision. She was also taken to hospital and is in a stable condition, Tisch said at a press conference on Saturday afternoon.
She added that the light sequence at the time of the incident was not yet known and that speed “certainly may have been a factor.” Yarimi was also breathalysed at the scene.
“I will call it like it is,” Tisch said. “This was a horrific tragedy caused by someone who shouldn't have been on the road. A mother and two young children killed, another child fighting for his life, a family and a neighborhood devastated in an instant.
“The NYPD sends its condolences to the family of the victims. May their memories be a blessing.”
The 62-year-old driver of the Toyota Camry, which had been operating as an Uber, was taken to Coney Island Hospital and was also reported to be in stable condition. The vehicle’s four passengers, an adult and three children, were treated for minor injuries.
New York Mayor Eric Adams said the incident was a “tragic accident of Shakespearean proportion.”
“This is extremely concerning and painful, not only to the city of New York in general, but specifically to a very close knit community,” he said, also speaking at the press conference.
“A mother gone for a simple stroll on a sunny day, was struck and killed as we pray for their families and this entire community. The city mourns this loss… This was a senseless tragedy, and we're praying for all involved.”
