By Ayala Ben-Yehuda
Amanda Kandial, 26, of Richmond Hill died at Brookdale Hospital shortly before 3 a.m. Friday morning after the 1993 Toyota Camry in which she was a passenger collided with a 1996 Nissan Maxima at the intersection of Remsen and Ditmas avenues in Brooklyn, police said.
Kandial's driver in the Camry, 25-year-old Russell Viera of Brooklyn, and the driver of the Maxima, 23-year-old Garvin Brown of Brooklyn, were both arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, police said.
Brown was also charged with manslaughter, reckless driving, reckless endangerment and criminally negligent homicide, a spokesman for Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes said. Viera was also charged with not having proof of insurance and additional charges against him were still possible, the spokesman said.
Viera and a male passenger in the Camry were in stable condition after being treated for head injuries at Brookdale Hospital, police said.
Brown refused medical attention at the scene and his female passenger was in stable condition after being treated for minor injuries at Brookdale Hospital, police said.
Family members would not comment on the crash, but Kandial's neighbors on 107th Street expressed shock at the young woman's death.
“Oh, my god. That is so sad,” said neighbor Millie Brijmohan when told of the accident. She said the Kandials had lived across the street from her for less than two years. Published reports said Kandial had recently completed her studies to become a lawyer.
The day after the Brooklyn accident that killed Kandial, an allegedly drunk 54-year-old South Jamaica woman plowed into a row of unoccupied parked cars around 2 p.m. Saturday along Sutphin Boulevard near 114th Road, police said.
A 33-year-old man had started to cross Sutphin Boulevard in between two of the parked cars when the woman, Patricia Pauling, struck him with her car, police said.
Police did not identify the victim, but published reports said he was German Acosta-Disla, an off-duty NYPD traffic agent.
The man was taken to Mary Immaculate Hospital in extremely critical condition with multiple body fractures, police said. Pauling was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, said a spokeswoman for Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.
A hospital spokeswoman said Disla was still in very critical condition Sunday afternoon.
Pauling, who drove alone in her white van, was unsteady on her feet and was slurring her speech when police arrived, said Sgt. John Dorst of the 113th Precinct.
The spokeswoman for the DA said Pauling had a blood alcohol level of .22, nearly three times the legal limit.
Her car hit a Toyota Camry, a Dodge Caravan, a BMW and a Hyundai Sonata before coming to a stop against a Nissan Altima.
Owners of the cars stood in disbelief as they waited for police to complete their investigation of the accident scene, which was littered with pieces of auto parts.
Joe Salemi, owner of the BMW and an employee at Eastern Eagle Video on Sutphin Boulevard, said he heard a bang and came out to find a bloody man lying on the street next to his car.
Salemi was more concerned for the victim than for any damage to the vehicle.
“As long as that guy makes it,” he said, “everything else we can repair.”
The Sonata's owner, Karen Bowman, said, “don't they know yet? They keep telling you, 'don't drink and drive.'”
Reach reporter Ayala Ben-Yehuda by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
