Drunken Hit And Run Leaves 80-Year-Old Dead In Brooklyn

Police have charged Mario Vasquez of Brooklyn with vehicular manslaughter, reckless endangerment, leaving the scene of crime with a fatality, unauthorized use of a vehicle, driving a motor vehicle without a license and driving while intoxicated after he hit 80-year-old Maria Prikul and her caretaker on Bath Avenue and 18th Avenue yesterday morning, dragging Prikul a full block and leaving her dead. Passersby made Vasquez stop his car and helped to lift the van off Prikul. One good Samaritan said, "I looked at her face, but she was already dead. Her clothes were ripped. There was blood in her mouth."

Vasquez was apprehended a few blocks away when bystanders blocked him from going any farther. Prikul was pronounced dead at Lutheran Hospital, and her caretaker suffered minor injuries. Prikul's daughter, Rita Shulman, said she had been suffering from lung cancer. "Last night, when I talked to her, I told her not to go out," Shulman said. "I'm still shocked." Prikul lived on her own at the Bath Beach senior housing complex. At least one other woman was killed by a hit and run driver in the city yesterday, and all signs point to hit and run in the case of Brooklyn biker Serena.

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By Jaya Saxena in News on February 6, 2011 12:05 PM

Comments [rss]

Mr Mel

How many priors? How many licenses lifted? How many DWIs? You can bet there's a trail here. When will we ever learn?

Jesse James Payette-Steinberg

We should have Vasquez choose which family member he wants the state to "hit and run". Make him live with killing someone family member and having the state kill one of his own.

Rod

betcha Mayor Hosni's response is the same as always: a few rounds of golf at his Bermuda mansion.

robingee

Good for the passersby and bystanders! They did not stand by after all.

hotguy

Yes kudos to the bystanders
I hate when alot of times people will stand by and do nothing
Like when that Chinese girl was killed last year by another drunken spamish guy in flushing!
People just stood by as she was knocked unconcious and mutilated
I hope he gets a few years in the slammer
He should pay the family forever as well
What a horrible way to die
It was probably not quick either

theevilerone

Drunk bicyclists would only love tap her!

splicernyc

Disgusting pig behind the wheel of a car. Burn in hell, Vasquez.

Spirit of 76

After three injuries and one death reported just today, I'm still waiting for Fallout/thefacts to tell us that cars are not the problem. After all, for all the hundreds of thousands of miles that people will drive today within the city, a few dead or injured are just a tiny blip on the radar, not even worthy of notice, right? Fallout would just tell Mrs. Prikul that her "time's up!"

On the other hand, if it had been a bicyclist that had even brushed Mrs. Prikul, Fallout would be calling for his head on a platter.

Gwinny

... or Aleksey. They rival each other for anti-bike stupidity.

schmeep

Wow, you're vaccinating by trolling yourself. Impressive.

Spirit of 76

Do you even know what trolling is? I'm not trying to get a reaction from Fallout. That was a rhetorical comment. I don't expect any comment from him in this story. That's just the way he rolls. He never blames any driver, only those "dangerous" cyclists.

But judging from some of your comments, including in the kestral story, you know full well how to troll.

unretrofiedforu

You're trying to get a reaction from the pro-bike base though.

This is sad, but what can you say? People are stupid - people die. I see your points but again, cars don't kill people.