A tragic déjà vu
’17 crash sis rips fatal MS driver
A Brooklyn woman whose brother was killed last year by a motorist with multiple sclerosis blasted the MS-afflicted driver who fatally struck two kids in Park Slope a week ago, saying the woman never should have gotten behind the wheel.
“That type of behavior is totally unacceptable,” Sonia Palacios said of Dorothy Bruns, the driver whose car ran a red light Monday and mowed down 1-year-old Joshua Lew and 4year-old Abigail Blumenstein and injured their mothers.
Bruns, 44, of Staten Island, told cops that she had the neurological disease and that she had suffered a seizure that caused her to lose control of the car.
Palacios’ brother, Marlon, 43, was killed in East Flatbush in January 2017, when driver Mark Antoine, who was diagnosed with MS, suffered a muscle spasm that sent his car careening into her sibling.
Antoine was indicted last month on charges including second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide for ignoring a doctor’s warning not to drive, according to the Brooklyn DA’s Office.
Sonia Palacios said Monday’s crash was an avoidable tragedy.
“It’s disheartening that another family has to suffer from a poor decision made by someone to get behind a wheel and put others in jeopardy, especially when they know they have a medical condition that can paralyze or cripple them,” she told The Post.
“Having a disability is not a crime, but knowing you have this and knowing that it can bring bodily harm to you and others — that alone is unacceptable.”
It was not clear whether Bruns had been ordered not to drive by a doctor. The Staten Island mom told authorities she had also suffered a seizure in January and had been treated for serious heart problems.
Authorities have subpoenaed her medical records, law-enforcement sources have said.
Sonia Palacios said Monday’s horror “brings everything back up — it’s a raw emotion.’’
Marlon Palacios was walking when he was hit by Antoine’s 2004 Nissan Pathfinder near Avenue A and Remsen Avenue on Jan. 9, 2017. The driver’s MS caused his leg to stiffen and become “locked” on the gas pedal, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
Antoine was traveling at 60 mph and slammed into six vehicles before striking Marlon.
“It’s very emotional,” Sonia Palacios said, recalling her brother’s death amid last week’s crash.
“These are two young children . . . It’s so unfair. It’s totally unfair they have to go through this.”
Bruns was not charged in the crash, although Mayor de Blasio days later called for her arrest following pressure from protesters.
MS can cause fatigue, impaired vision and coordination and slowed reaction time, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.