By The newspaper
24 Jul 2024, 09:25 AM EDT
Two parents have been sentenced after their son, an unlicensed teenager, allegedly drove at high speed and crashed, causing the death of Fortune Williams, a 14-year-old girl, in Queens (NYC).
In what is believed to be the first prosecution of its kind in New York, Sean Smith (40) and Deo Ramnarine (43) appeared on Monday in Queens Criminal Court with their 17-year-old son, whose name is not being released because he is a minor.
The teenager has been charged with multiple crimes, including manslaughter, and his parents were also charged and now sentenced. The accident happened on May 17, 2023, when the driver was 16 years old.
Both parents pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child, and the mother pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct. Smith was sentenced to three years of probation. Both must take a 26-week parenting class and attend a victim impact panel program. If Ramnarine successfully completes both courses, she will be allowed to withdraw her plea to endangering the welfare of a child and only the disorderly conduct charge will remain.
The teen’s case is ongoing and he faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. According to prosecutors, he was behind the wheel of a BMW allegedly going over 100 mph on North Conduit Av near 160th St in Springfield Gardens when he lost control while changing lanes and crashed into a truck, spun out and hit a tractor trailer.
Williams, a passenger in the BMW, was ejected and killed. “This is a very unique situation. Both parents knew their son did not have a driver’s license. They chose to give him a BMW. They chose not to impose restrictions on how their son could drive it,” argued Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
“With this conviction, we have shown that culpability in a fatal accident can extend beyond the driver. Parents who provide vehicles for their children and allow them to drive illegally can be held liable in tragedies like this. We will continue to seek justice for Fortune Williams and her grieving family,” Katz added in a statement.
The teenager had a junior driver’s license, which prohibits him from driving under any circumstances in New York City, he said. CBS News. Katz said the school notified the teen’s mother weeks before the crash that he had been seen driving. He also received a ticket for driving without a license and while using a cell phone months earlier.
“I have significant questions about the legality of this. However, given the circumstances, Mr. Smith thought this was the best course of action,” said his attorney, James Polk.
“She was so sweet. You know what she would have said? She would have said, ‘Mom, please accept her apology,’” said Keisha Francis, the victim’s mother.
Authorities remind that there is zero tolerance for drivers who drive at excessive speed and/or under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Cyclists and motorcyclists are also frequent protagonists of road accidents, as victims and perpetrators, by riding on sidewalks, disregarding traffic lights and even the direction of the streets.
In May, a 71-year-old Puerto Rican grandmother was killed when she was run over by a driver who was fleeing from the police in Brooklyn (NYC) and left the scene by getting on the subway. Her daughter was injured. Ironically, just hours before, Governor Kathy Hochul had signed the so-called Sammy’s Law, which reduces the speed limit to 20 mph and even 10 mph on some streets in the five boroughs of NYC to protect pedestrians. So far this year, more than 40 people have been killed in car accidents in the city.
In December, Gov. Hochul signed “Angelica’s Law,” designed to keep drivers with prior suspensions off the road by charging repeat offenders who operate vehicles after committing five or more traffic violations that resulted in suspensions or revocations with felonies.
- 2024 is the deadliest year on New York’s asphalt since Vision Zero was created to prevent deaths