A driver having a seizure slammed into five pedestrians on a Brooklyn street on Monday, killing two small children and injuring their mothers.
Actor Ruthie Ann Miles, 34, who has starred on Broadway and in FX's The Americans, was crossing the street with her toddler daughter Abigail, and her friend Lauren Lew, 31, and her baby son, on Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn when the car struck them.
Four-year-old Abigail Blumenstein and 1-year-old Joshua Lew were both killed, just a few blocks from their homes.
Lew's stroller was dragged 100 feet under the car, according to reports.
"The vehicle continued forward and struck a parked and unoccupied car before coming to a stop," said the NYPD in a statement.
CCTV footage of the crash shows the Volvo sedan mowing down pedestrians as they cross at the crosswalk.
#Exclusive watch the white car at the light. For some reason the driver goes through it, hits people in the cross walk. 2 kids are dead & a woman, who is pregnant and 1 of the kid’s mom, is in critical. The female driver is with police . More soon @ABC7NY #Parkslope #Brooklyn https://t.co/svukC2lKja
Authorities said the 44-year-old female driver of the car "suffered a medical episode." She has not been arrested over the crash. The New York Daily News reported that she has Multiple Sclerosis and suffered from seizures.
“She should have never been allowed to be driving a car after what we know,” said de Blasio on Tuesday.
"If you looked at her traffic history, running red lights, speeding near schools, over a dozen moving violations that she had. I do not know why she was let go," said Mayor de Blasio on Tuesday.
you can see crumpled stroller there
Andrew Macaluso, a fourth-year medical student, began giving Joshua CPR at the scene before paramedics arrived. "The mom was sitting there next to him screaming,’’ Macaluso, 26, told the New York Post. "She was just kind of, ‘Oh, God, this can’t be happening! Tell me this isn’t happening! What’s going on?’"
Miles, who is pregnant, was injured and bleeding from the head. Both mothers were taken to hospital in a stable condition. A fifth pedestrian, a male, was also injured.
firefighters are cutting the coat off of a pregnant woman who was hit
Miles won a Tony Award in 2015 for her role in the King and I. She starred in FX's hit TV show The Americans, and as Imelda Marcos in the off-Broadway production of Here Lies Love.
In her acceptance speech, Miles thanked "the Lews" and added: "I could fall and never hit the ground because of the amazing women that are behind me."
It's our daughter's Golden Birthday today, so we're giving her chocolate. HappyBirthday, Abby 💛We love you so, so much!! https://t.co/D4q2qH6Q0d
Members of New York's acting community launched a Go Fund Me account to raise money for Miles and her family.
"Ruthie is beloved by her many friends and colleagues in the Broadway and touring communities. She is always kind and always has a smile. It is our honor to help her in this difficult time," it reads.
My dear friend @RuthieAnnMiles is in critical condition and experiencing a parent’s worst nightmare. Please consider helping. Thank you. https://t.co/bMylLDaOCL #KingAndI #RuthieAnnMiles #LoveAndStrength https://t.co/uxVgJTvxcU
On Saturday, two days before the collision, Miles tweeted thanks to Apple Support for helping her recover 3,500 lost photos and videos, mainly of her baby daughter.
Woke up today w/tears of gratitude towards @AppleSupport. Yesterday they helped me recover #3500 lost photos/videos (mostly of Abby from birth-2yo!) We’re still working on finding the missing @iTunes and @audible_com, but #Jason #Elisa #Cornelius #Cheri THANK YOU So MUCH!!!
A Go Fund Me was created to help raise money for the Lews, who also have another young son.
"While there is nothing we can do or say to bring their boy back, we hope these funds will serve as an expression of the community supporting them during this time," reads the Go Fund Me.