Week of Mar 23

The Walk Home

Natasha Saada left synagogue with her children—Diana, 8; Deborah, 5; and Philip, 4. They stepped into the crosswalk on Ocean Parkway. The light was green. The stroller rolled forward.

An Audi came fast. It hit an Uber, flipped, and tore through the family. Natasha died. Diana died. Deborah died. Philip lived.

He is 4. He lost a kidney. He remains in critical condition. “He needs our prayers”, said a family friend.

The Driver

Miriam Yarimi was behind the wheel. Her license was suspended. Her Audi was uninsured and unregistered. She was going nearly 50 in a 25 zone. She ran a red light. “This was a horrific tragedy caused by someone who shouldn’t have been on the road”, said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

Yarimi had 93 prior violations. Twenty were for speeding. She is charged with three counts of manslaughter, three counts of criminally negligent homicide, and multiple other offenses.

The Others

In the Uber she struck, a second mother sat with her children. Mahbuba Ahmedova, 35, was knocked unconscious. “When I opened my eyes, I saw two kids were killed, and I thought they were my kids”, she said.

Her son wears a sling. Her face still hurts. Her daughter, 4, walked away.

The Week

Six people died in traffic crashes this week. Three were children. One was their mother. One was a 65-year-old man in the Bronx, struck while crossing with the light. One was a 67-year-old man in Queens, killed mid-block by a driver who lost consciousness.

Fifteen more were seriously injured. A 16-year-old girl split her leg open under a bus. A cyclist was crushed between two SUVs. A man on a moped slammed into a bumper. A senior lay bleeding beneath a Subaru.

The city moves on. The street stays the same.

Take action now. Because if a mother and her children can’t cross Ocean Parkway in daylight, no one is safe.

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