Girl Killed In Brooklyn Hit And Run Accident
A deadly hit and run accident claimed the life of a 12 year-old girl and left her mother and sister with critical injuries, after a speeding Dodge minivan jumped a curb and plowed into the women as they walked down Flatlands Avenue. The driver of the minivan, which was stolen, was 26-year-old Robert DeCarlo. According to witnesses at the scene, DeCarlo lost control of his vehicle and careened into the three pedestrians, pinning 12 year-old Joey Sellers underneath his car.
“He was going 120 miles an hour … He lost control. It was crazy,” said Stefano Girgenti, who saw the tragedy unfold. Passersbys saw DeCarlo flee from the scene of the crash, which happened around 4:40 pm when the driver was turning left off of Schenectady Ave.
Kareem Johnson, one of the passersby who helped lift the vehicle off the little victim, said of the accident, “They weren’t moving, their eyes were closed … All their bones looked broken.” “I don’t know where the strength came from, but as soon as we saw someone underneath, we moved the car,” Johnson told the Daily News. “One of them was bleeding from the head. It was like a big hole in the head.”
Driver in Brooklyn hit-and-run a known junkie
Perhaps one of the most disturbing aspects of this story is that DeCarlo, who was convicted of a violent mugging earlier this year, had been recently released without bail after a Brooklyn judge was fooled by his bogus story. DeCarlo claimed that he was the primary caretaker for his infirm grandfather who suffered from dementia, and based on that lie, was released onto the streets without having to pay a $60,000 bail that prosecutors had wanted. Relatives later confirmed that DeCarlo had a long history of drug abuse and had had been disowned by the family since he refused to get treatment in a rehab facility.
After allegedly fleeing from the hit and run accident, DeCarlo was caught a couple of days later walking near the 62nd Precinct station house in Bensonhurst. During DeCarlo’s arraignment hearing, Judge Michael Yavinsky ordered that DeCarlo be held without bail on charges of assault and manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident.
Alla Rutitskaya, the woman who had been mugged and violently attacked by DeCarlo, was incredulous that the 26-year-old had been freed without bail. Meanwhile, the family of the hit and run victims is outraged at the apparently flawed legal system. “Does the system kill us or what? And now what are they going to do? Say, ‘I’m sorry’ — that’s it,” fumed one of the cousins, Roland Pierre.
It is unknown if the family of Joey Sellers plans to take legal action for the child’s wrongful death.
New York hit and run lawyers
This recent tragedy underscores the catastrophic consequences facing one Brooklyn family, who have lost a loved one due to another’s reckless actions. If you or a family member was injured in an accident caused by a hit and run driver, you need the assistance of veteran car accident lawyers New York trusts.
Representing clients in the greater NYC metro area for 46 years, The Sanders Firm offers free case reviews to anyone who is considering filing a NY car accident lawsuit. To schedule an appointment today, please call 1-800-FAIR-PLAY. Resources
- NY Post, Duped judge freed junkie before fatal hit-and-run https://nypost.com/2014/07/03/suspect-in-fatal-hit-and-run-caught-by-cops/
- NY Daily News, Girl killed, sister and mom left critically injured as minivan crashes in Brooklyn: cops https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/stolen-minivan-hits-child-pedestrians-killing-article-1.1852695
