A man accused of fatally striking a 5-year-old New Jersey boy with his car on Staten Island on Friday night was released Sunday on $35,000 bail. That happened to be the same day the little boy was buried in front of hundreds of mourners.
Police and prosecutors believe the 33-year-old man struck the boy, his mother and his 9-year-old sister as they were crossing Richmond Road in Dongan Hills around 8:30 p.m. The driver who struck the family, which had just emerged from a deli, then left the scene.
The mother suffered a head injury and the sister sustained a broken ankle. The 5-year-old boy was allegedly thrown quite a distance by the impact of the collision; he died after being taken to Staten Island University Hospital.
Police were able to track down the 33-year-old man based on eyewitness descriptions of his 2013 Mercedes SUV.
The little boy’s funeral was held Sunday at St. Mina’s Coptic Church in Holmdel, New Jersey. The boy’s uncle did not greet news of the suspect’s release on bail warmly, saying it was not fair that his nephew’s alleged killer should go free.
Car accidents like this are exceptionally sad, but they are not necessarily surprising. That is because they happen far too often. A great many drivers in and around New York are very irresponsible, and this can have very sad, very serious consequences.
If you are ever unlucky enough to be hurt in a car accident, or if you lose a loved one to such a tragedy, it may be a good idea to speak about that with an attorney.
Source:
- The New York Daily News,”Staten Island hit-and-run suspect bails out of jail during 5-year-old’s funeral,” Simone Weichselbaum and Barry Paddock, Aug. 12, 2013
- The New York Daily News, “New Jersey boy,4, killed in hit-and-run in Staten Island,” Kerry Burke and Thomas Tracy, Aug. 10, 2013
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