Rich. Hill Accident Left Schoolgirl Disabled
More than a year after a hit-and-run accident on a Richmond Hill street in which a young girl was left with debilitating injuries, the driver responsible for striking her with his vehicle is now serving time for the crime, law enforcement sources said.
Errol Gangaram, 26, of 124th Street in Richmond Hill was sentenced last Wednesday, Mar. 6, by Queens Supreme Court Justice James P. Grffin to serve six years behind bars and three years’ post-release supervision for running down an 11- year-old girl as he attempted to pass a stopped school bus at the corner of 103rd Avenue and 125th Street on the morning of Dec. 19, 2011.
Gangaram was convicted last month following a bench trial on the charges of second-degree assault, leaving the scene of an accident without reporting, failing to stop at a steady red signal, unsafe lane change, second-degree reckless endangerment, endangering the welfare of a child, reckless driving, third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and overtaking and passing a school bus.
“This case should serve as a reminder to impatient drivers that trying to save a little time by flouting traffic laws can have serious consequences for both pedestrians and for themselves,” Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said in a statement last Wednesday. “The sentence imposed today reflects the serious nature of the crime.”
As previously reported, the incident occurred at about 6:40 a.m. on the morning of Dec. 19, 2011, when Gangaram-behind the wheel of a 2004 Honda Accord traveling westbound on 103rd Avenue-came to a stop behind the school bus and another vehicle at 125th Street.
Law enforcement sources said that the bus had its stop sign extended from its side to allow children to cross in front of the bus safely. By law, all drivers must stop their cars when a school bus has its stop sign activated.
Rather than obey the law, prosecutors said, Gangaram instead maneuvered to make a pass on the left, crossing the double-yellow line on 103rd Avenue. In doing so, he struck the 11-year-old victim as she attempted to cross the street, sending her flying before landing on the ground.
Despite hitting the child, authorities noted, Gangaram sped away from the scene.
Law enforcement sources said that an eyewitness to the accident pursued Gangaram through local streets. Gangaram reportedly came to a stop at the corner of 131st Street and 101st Avenue, where members of the 102nd Precinct Detective Squad picked him up.
The girl, meanwhile, was rushed by paramedics to Elmhurst Hospital Center with injuries including a fractured skull and neurological damage. Prosecutors noted that the child remained hospitalized until April 2012, when she was transferred to a pediatric rehabilitation facility.
Though she was discharged from the location last December, authorities noted, her injuries left her bedridden at home without the ability to speak or walk.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Franchesca Fernandez of the D.A.’s Narcotics Trial Bureau, which is supervised by Assistant District Attorneys Karen H. Rankin, bureau chief, and Robert J. Ferino and Barry S. Weinrib, deputy bureau chiefs.
