A drunk driver fatally struck a woman in Williamsburg on Friday afternoon, cops said.
Details are scant, but according to the NYPD, Lakierdra Thomas, 32, was at Graham Avenue and Broadway when Uri Hochberg, 47, slammed into her with his Jeep Grand Cherokee. Hochberg, of Edison, N.J, was later charged with manslaughter, a serious charge that is rarely leveled unless there's another crime — in this case, DWI.
The investigation is ongoing, police said.
A police spokesman told Streetsblog that Thomas was crossing Graham Avenue — in the crosswalk — when Hochberg hit her as he turned right from Broadway onto Graham. He dragged her under the large SUV for a short distance, the police spokesman said, but then stopped.
The Department of Transportation has long said that SUVs present a much greater danger than regular sedans because their hoodline often pushes victims under the vehicle rather than over it. Also, men prefer driving SUVs — and men tend to be much more reckless drivers, the agency said.
Update: Late on Saturday afternoon, the Daily News added key details about the life of Lakierdra Thomas.
“She was everything to me,” Anthony Lilly, 33, told the tabloid. “She was strong, dramatic, beautiful. Everyone she came across, they just loved her so much. She was one of those genuine souls.”
The paper added no new details of the crash.
