The name of the woman who was struck and killed by a turning Q23 Queens bus on Sunday morning has been revealed, according to reports. Her name was Leyla Enukashvili, 69.
Enukashvili was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in critical condition, but was later pronounced dead from her injuries.
The identity of the 52-year-old bus driver was not revealed by authorities. The accident is still under investigation. No charges have been made.
Enukashvili’s death marks the second one to occur from an MTA bus collision within a week. On Wednesday, Carol Bell, 70, was struck and killed in a hit-and-run accident by a Brooklyn B15 bus in Ocean Hill. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of that bus, Paul Roper, 48, was arrested and faces charges of leaving the scene of an accident, failure to yield to a pedestrian, and failure to exercise due care.
During Roper’s trial, law enforcement officials revealed that Roper had been arrested three times over the past decade. The arrests involved drug possession and assault although the details and the outcomes of the arrests were sealed, according to officials. An MTA spokesperson said that the authority had “no grounds” to take further disciplinary action against Roper.
Roper was suspended without pay by the authority and his driver’s license was also stripped.
Roper’s defense lawyer claimed that the bus had an engineering flaw that could have prevented the accident. Transportation advocates have said they have pushed for design changes and technological improvements to reduce accidents.
However, the prosecutor noted that it was nearly impossible for Roper not to notice a crash so loud that neighbors could hear it.
The attorneys at Morgan Levine Dolan have recovered millions of dollars for those who have been injured in a bus accident, or any other type of incident involving motor vehicles. If you or a loved one has been involved in a bus accident, please contact Jared Levine of Morgan Levine Dolan at 212-461-499 today.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/05/nyregion/official-cites-past-arrests-for-driver-in-fatal-brooklyn-bus-crash.html