Crash on Ocean Parkway: Driver arrested after mom, 2 kids killed while crossing Brooklyn street
Brooklyn crash kills mother, 2 daughters
A Brooklyn mother and her two daughters were killed in a devastating crash involving a driver with a suspended license and a staggering 99 traffic violations. The tragedy is sparking renewed calls for legislation to keep reckless drivers off New York City streets. FOX 5’s Kendall Green reports.
BROOKLYN - Days after a deadly crash claimed the lives of a Brooklyn mother and two of her three children, families and advocates are calling for stricter penalties against serial traffic offenders.
The NYPD arrested 32-year-old Miriam Yarimi, the woman accused of causing a weekend two-car crash on Ocean Parkway that killed a mother and her two children as they crossed a street in Brooklyn.
According to police, Yarimi's Audi struck a rideshare vehicle carrying four passengers – a mother and three children – at an intersection before hitting another mother and three children who were crossing the street.
Who is Miriam Yarimi?
What we know:
Yarimi faces a slew of charges following Saturday's crash near Quentin Road in Gravesend, including:
- Three counts of second-degree manslaughter.
- Three counts of criminal negligent homicide.
- Four counts of second-degree assault.
Officials say not only did Yarimi have a suspended license, but she also reportedly had 93 moving violations and $10,000 of unpaid fines.
Yarimi also reportedly received a psych evaluation at Bellevue Hospital after she allegedly said some things to first responders immediately after the crash.
The New York Post reports Yarimi "is a wigmaker by profession, something noted by the vanity plate of the Audi in the crash, which reads ‘WIGM8KER.'"
What they're saying:
The incident has left many members of the community outraged and demanding laws be toughened to prevent future tragedies.
A bill now gaining support would require speed restriction devices to be installed on vehicles of repeat traffic offenders like Yarimi.
"We have to support the leadership of the senator and the assembly member in order for this bill to pass," said Ydanis Rodriguez, NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner. "We can use this analogy—going after that small percentage of regular drivers who are the ones committing most of the traffic fatalities in the city."
Brooklyn car accident: What we know
Timeline:
In what NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch described as a "horrific incident," the accident happened at an intersection on Ocean Parkway around 1:04 p.m. Saturday.
Police said a 2023 silver Toyota Camry with TLC plates was traveling westbound and attempted to turn right onto northbound Ocean Parkway.
As the Camry made the turn, a blue Audi A3 sedan traveling northbound on Ocean Parkway slammed into it. Tisch said the force of the crash pushed the Camry aside, while the Audi continued forward, hitting the mother and her three children before overturning.
The mother and two of her children crossing the street were pronounced dead. The third child was rushed to a hospital in critical condition.
Who were the victims?
The victims have been identified as 34-year-old Natasha Saada and her two daughters – 8-year-old Diana and 5-year-old Debra. Police said Natasha's 4-year-old son, Philip, was "fighting for his life."
The Toyota Camry’s driver, a 62-year-old man, was also hospitalized in stable condition. The four passengers inside the Camry sustained minor injuries and were taken to a hospital.
What we don't know:
Investigators say they're working to determine if Yarimi ran a red light and whether or not she was under the influence.
Authorities confirmed Yarimi was driving with a suspended license, but said they were still investigating the reason for the suspension.