A Derry-born ambulance driver is facing manslaughter charges in New York after her emergency vehicle crashed into a car and killed three children. She was arraigned in Brooklyn State Supreme Court yesterday.
Mrs Anne Lamberson pleaded not guilty to second degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.
Mrs Lamberson was arrested after the ambulance she was driving sped through a red light on September 30th and crashed into the Nissan car driven by Ms Angela Igwe, police said.
Three of Mrs Igwe's children, aged seven, five and two, were killed in the crash. Mrs Igwe and another daughter, Ibironke, were critically injured.
The case has sparked a growing furore in Derry, where Mrs Lamberson's relatives have condemned the New York Police Department over her arrest for what they say is fundamentally an accident.
Mrs Lamberson's parents emigrated from the Bogside to the US in 1964 when she was a small child.
While prosecutors and the defence have called the incident a saddening tragedy, there has been contention over whether Mrs Lamberson was on an emergency call when she collided with the car.
Police and the Brooklyn District Attorney's office say Mrs Lamberson broke the law when she recklessly sped through the light with sirens on and lights flashing. Under New York law, emergency vehicles can pass a red light or stop sign and exceed the speed limit if they exercise caution and do not endanger life. Investigators said they found no evidence that Mrs Lamberson complied with those guidelines.
While Mrs Lamberson faces up to 15 years' imprisonment if convicted, the minimum sentence is probation, Deputy District Attorney Mr Joseph Petrosino said.
Mrs Lamberson's attorney, Mr Michael Dowd, was quick to point to recordings of the dispatcher's call to her ambulance, alleging it was an emergency. Although Police Commissioner Mr Howard Safir initially said the ambulance was not on an emergency run, the tape recording clearly contradicted that, Mr Dowd said.
The family of the victims have hired Mr Johnnie Cochran and Mr Peter Neufield, who were both involved in the controversial O.J. Simpson trial, to file a civil suit. Mrs Lamberson is currently free on $5,000 bail, which was reduced yesterday from $25,000. The trial is set to continue on December 22nd.