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| Bilal Ghuman driver |
The minivan driver that killed a Boro Park girl and sent her pregnant mother to the hospital last night had an open, active warrant and was driving the vehicle without permission of the owner.
22 year old Bilal Ghumman, who lives at 2008 West 22nd Street in Brooklyn, was making a left turn onto 60th Street at the corner of 18th Avenue when he struck 33 year old Chaya Sara Friedman and her 10 year old daughter Blima in the intersection.
Ghumman, who has an outstanding warrant for possession of marijuana dating back to October, also had two prior arrests, for fare evasion at a subway station and for occupying more than one seat on a train, a violation of a local MTA laws.
Police said that both victims were lying in the roadway when they arrived on scene, with the mother pinned under the rear passenger-side tire. Mrs. Friedman, who suffered internal injuries, was taken to Lutheran Hospital where she delivered a full term baby by Caesarean section. Blima Friedman was pronounced dead on arrival at Maimonides Hospital, as previously reported on VIN News.
Ghumman, who was driving a grey 2015 Honda Odyssey, remained on scene. Police said that neither drugs nor alcohol were a factor in the crash and that the ongoing investigation will indicate whether or not Ghumman was speeding at the time of the accident. Ghumman has been charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle and violation of local law because of the open warrant and police said that they expect the charges to be upgraded in light of Blima Friedman’s death.
Eyewitnesses said that Hatzolah extricated Mrs. Friedman from under the minivan and that several Hatzolah members were attending to Blima Friedman who was lying face down on a sewer grating, bleeding profusely from her face.
“There was a lady on the floor and a child on the street,” said a second eyewitness. “She was holding her stomach. The guy came out of the car, he was pacing, asked her if she was okay. He didn’t want to get too close because he was mad nervous.”
The eyewitness said that the driver appeared to be driving at excessive speed at the time of impact, given last night’s rainy weather.
Last night’s accident marks the second time that the Friedman family, who lives on 58th Street, just two blocks away from the scene of the accident, has found themselves in the media spotlight.
A Chanukah fire, which began after an oil menorah tipped over five years ago took place at the Friedman family home. Tzivia Friedman, who was three years old at the time, was rescued by firefighters and hospitalized after suffering serious burns to her hands and feet.
