Crash That Killed Park Slope Kids Creates New Law

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — A new driving safety rule prompted by the tragic Ninth Street crash that killed two Park Slope kids last year has officially become law, elected officials announced Thursday.

The new law — which can suspend the license of drivers who lose consciousness behind the wheel until they are medically cleared — was drafted by Assembly Member Robert Carroll shortly after the March 5 crash, when Dorothy Bruns reportedly had a seizure while driving while at a stop light and plowed into a group of pedestrians crossing Ninth Street and Fourth Avenue.

Carroll said had the law been in place back then, Bruns' might not have been behind the wheel that day, given that she'd already had a medical episode behind the wheel and hit a parked car before the March crash.

“This bill is a significant step toward addressing factors relating to drivers losing consciousness, awareness or control due to chronic, ongoing conditions and it will make pedestrians, bicyclists and other motorists safer," Carroll said.

The law specifically requires the commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles to suspend the license of a driver if they receive a report from police indicating that a loss of consciousness was a contributing factor to a crash, or if a medical professional reports that there is evidence the person lost consciousness, Carroll said.

It was signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo this week.

Driver's whose licenses are suspended under the law can request to have a hearing about the suspension, but their license will stay suspended until they are medically cleared.

Carroll said before the new rule, a report from police or a physician would only start a review and let the person drive in the meantime.

“This law will prevent tragedies from unfolding on our city’s streets," said state Sen. Andrew Gounardes, who sponsored the bill in the senate. "With traffic deaths on the rise again this year, we have to do everything we can to stop the heartbreak and horror of traffic violence."

The Park Slope crash, which in part led to a number of safety upgrades on the street, killed Joshua Lew, 1, and Abigail Blumenstein, 4, both of Park Slope, who were crossing the intersection with their mothers, police said. Tony award-winning actress Ruthie Ann Blumenstein, whose stage name is Ruthie Ann Miles, and her friend Lauren Lew were injured along with a 46-year-old man, according to police and GoFundMe pages for the victims.

It was one of several near the intersection that residents had long pointed to when calling for safety improvements on the street.