Victim demands to know identity of man who ran her over in New City

BY DYLAN SKRILOFF

Joan Kaufman, accident victim, and her husband Mitchell at her bedside in Nyack Hospital
Joan Kaufman, accident victim, and her husband Mitchell at her bedside in Nyack Hospital

UPDATE: CPD has now released a report about the incident to local media. No summons was issued

It’s been over 60 hours since Joan Kaufman of Riverdale, Bronx was run over by an out of control backwards driving Lincoln outside Mia’s massage in New City. Joan and husband of 33 years Mitchell are tired of waiting for the identity of their assailant to be revealed.

“This was so unnecessary,” Joan told the Rockland County Times from her bedside at Nyack Hospital.  An as yet unrevealed out-of-control driver nearly killed her Saturday afternoon, breaking her shoulder, pelvis, right knee and a partial hip. “We were early [to Mia’s massage]…I walk outside, turn around…and a man was going fast backward. I jumped out of the way and felt the impact of the car while I was flying through the air. Darkness came and a minute later I hear a lady saying, ‘she’s not dead.'”

That lady was a physical therapist named Linda Fuller, also waiting for a massage appointment. She told Kaufman to keep her head in her lap and protected her while an ambulance was called.

Kaufman said the experience was like a tango with the Grim Reaper. “I saw death, I was going to die,” she said.

After his wife was hit by the car, Mitchell said he saw the erratic driver knock into a pole and then finally crash into a SUV.

Seeing his wife nearly killed was traumatic enough, but Mitchell is questioning why police have been slow to release the identity of the driver, described as a senior citizen, and why they did not appear to treat him as a potential criminal at the scene.

Joan Kaufman said she is in “excruciating” pain due to the accident.

“Because of this idiot, I am suffering through hell.”

 

You must be logged in to post a comment Login