A New York City woman died last week after the driver of an SUV jumped the curb and struck her, impaling her on a metal fence. According to media reports, the 59-year-old Bronx resident, Paulina Nrecaj, was taken to a local hospital, where she died after surgery. “She was a good, sweet woman,” her daughter told the New York Post. “She didn’t deserve this. She was four steps away from her home.”
Nrecaj was born in Albania, her husband of 40 years told the Post. She was a mother of three and a grandmother of one, and at the time of the incident she was headed out for pizza. A 32-year-old Uber driver reportedly helped remove her from the fence and comforted her while waiting for first responders to arrive. A 35-year-old nurse who witnessed the incident provided comfort as well, according to the Post, stopping and holding her hand. The driver was reportedly also taken to the hospital “in stable condition,” the Post noted, citing city data that shows his Lexus SUV “has 168 violations, including 20 for speeding in school zones.”
An NBC report stated that police did not arrest the driver, who city officials said “had been traveling on Bronxdale Avenue when he swerved to avoid hitting a van stopped in the intersection.” It remained unclear whether “there was any criminality at play,” NBC added, with the New York Post citing police sources who said “the crash appeared to be accidental.” Nrecaj’s daughter told the Post she blamed the incident on a “newly installed bike lane outside the building, which is protected by a row of parked cars.” She argued that the installation “confused drivers.”
More information about the tragic accident that killed a Bronx grandmother last week is available via the New York Post and NBC.
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