Mayor: Driver in Brooklyn crash that killed 2 children should not have been behind wheel
PARK SLOPE, Brooklyn -- New York City's mayor said a driver with a history of seizures who fatally struck two children, including the daughter of an acclaimed Broadway actress, never should have been behind the wheel.
Authorities say the driver, Dorothy Bruns, 44, apparently had a seizure Monday while stopped at a red light in Brooklyn.
Her car drove forward and struck actress Ruthie Ann Miles and another mother, Lauren Lew, as they crossed the street with their children.
Lew's 1-year-old son, Joshua, and Miles' 4-year-old daughter, Abigail, were killed. The mothers were injured but survived.
"This should never have happened," Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference.
Bruns had a valid driver's license, but was stripped of it after the collision.
Police and Brooklyn prosecutors were looking at Bruns' medical records, bloodwork and driving record, but unless a doctor advised her not to drive, she may not face charges, they said.
Miles, who is pregnant, was in stable condition at the hospital, her agent said Wednesday.
City records show the vehicle Bruns was driving had been cited four times in the past two years for running red lights and another four times for speeding through school zones. It is not clear from the citations who was driving the car at the time.
"She should never have been allowed to have been driving a car after what we know of these other violations," said de Blasio, who has a home a short walk from where the accident happened. "I share the frustration of many in my community. I wish she was under arrest right now. I certainly believe measures need to be taken to ensure she will not drive a car anymore."
Police said Bruns was hospitalized. No one answered the phone at her home.
Miles, who goes by Blumenstein off the stage, won a featured actress Tony in 2015 for her role as Lady Thiang in a revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The King and I."
Other credits included "Sunday in the Park with George" opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and playing Imelda Marcos in David Byrne's off-Broadway musical "Here Lies Love." She had a recurring role on the FX series "The Americans."
De Blasio said he would announce sometime next week measures to help guard against similar deaths in the future. One of his signature policies has been Vision Zero, a traffic-safety campaign.
"People who get behind the wheel of a car need to understand that they have a weapon in their hands," he said.
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