A man who caused a crash that killed a Brooklyn family has recently been found guilty in the case. The man has been found guilty of criminally negligent homicide, as well as second-degree manslaughter. The New York car accident took the lives of a husband, his pregnant wife and their baby.
In March 2013, the couple — both 21 years old — called a livery cab to take them to the nearest hospital. The couple was concerned because the wife was nearly seven-months pregnant, and she had not felt her baby move in several hours. According to the suit, the cab driver approached an intersection, slowed and continued toward the hospital when he saw no other cars coming. However, the defendant was allegedly traveling about twice as fast as the speed limit, and he collided with the cab.
The husband was crushed inside the vehicle, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The wife was thrown about 20 feet from the cab, and she also lost her life. The unborn child was delivered by cesarean section but died the next day. The driver was ultimately found guilty of two charges of manslaughter, one charge of criminally neglect homicide and two counts of leaving the scene of an accident. He has not yet been sentenced, but he faces life imprisonment.
When the New York criminal court system finds someone criminally negligent in connection with a fatal car accident, the family of a deceased victim has options. If family members wish to do so, they can also attempt to hold the driver responsible for his or her negligent actions in civil court. If successful, compensation awarded may help to ease the financial pain that a family tends to experience when faced with unexpected expenses.
Source: The New York Times, “Driver Faces Life Sentence in Crash That Killed Expectant Brooklyn Couple“, Benjamin Mueller, Feb. 19, 2015
