Driver charged with killing children in Brooklyn crosswalk

NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - Authorities have charged a Staten Island woman for driving through a red light and running over two children, killing them, in a Brooklyn crosswalk two months ago.

A grand jury on Wednesday indicted Dorothy Bruns on 10 counts, including manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and assault charges. Police then arrested her at her home.

Bruns appeared in court in Brooklyn on Thursday. She pleaded not guilty to the charges.

"She was the last person that should have been in a car," Assistant District Attorney Criag Esswein said in court. "But she didn't listen for whatever selfish reasons and she continued to drive."

Bruns told authorities that she had suffered a seizure behind the wheel of her Volvo, causing her to plow through the intersection in Park Slope on March 5. The car slammed into several pedestrians, killing Abigail Blumenstein, 4, and Joshua Lew, 1, and injuring others.

During the investigation, police discovered that Bruns had a medical episode in January while driving and crashed her car into a parked vehicle, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. While in a hospital for two days, she suffered a seizure.

A neurologist gave Bruns a letter clearing her for her "regular activities," her lawyer said in court.

But after the hearing, DA Gonzalez said that driving was not one of those "regular activities."

"He was clearing her to go back to work, not necessarily to operate a motor vehicle," Gonzalez said. "In fact, the doctor is insistent that she should not and could not safely operate a motor vehicle."

In fact, the DA's office said that when Bruns was discharged from the hospital in January, she was instructed to not drive for at least one year because of her medical condition.

At an unrelated public event Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio applauded the indictment and called for state traffic laws to be reformed.

A judge ordered Bruns held on bail of $75,000 bond or $25,000 cash. If convicted, she could face up to 15 years in prison.