While many people were busy ushering in the new year with celebrations, some ended their day in a casket, and others, like Carrie Bernans, ended up in a surgery room.
It all started when officers responded to a distress call. There was a report of physical assault by a 44-year-old male driver against a female passenger about ten years his junior. Officers tried to get him to park, but the man, afraid of what he would face in the hands of the law, chose to hightail it out of there. And so a chase began.
Desperate to get away from the cops, the driver crashed into an outdoor dining area of a New York City restaurant, injuring several in the process.
Actor Carrie Bernans was among those injured. Bernans, 29, had an uncredited role as a member of the Dora Milaje fighters in “Black Panther.” She also performed stunts in “Luke Cage” and the musical version of “The Color Purple,” which launched in December 2023
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Despite her abilities, nothing prepared her for the accident. According to her mother, Patricia Lee, she got unconscious and trapped under a bus in the hit-and-run. The accident caused Bernans to sustain broken bones, fractures, and chipped teeth.
She also required emergency surgery, which has affected her life as a mother. Bernans has an 8-month-old son whom she is now unable to breastfeed. All because of the medications she is currently taking to subdue the pain between her surgeries.
Her injuries are not exactly minor, but despite all that, Bernans is moving forward. She revealed on GoFundMe that she is brimming with “hope and faith in the unfolding of a beautiful new chapter.”
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“Amidst the chaos of the New Year’s incident, I’m holding on to an immense sense of gratitude for life itself,” Bernans wrote.
Aside from Bernans, those affected in the hit-and-run include two 39-year-old female pedestrians, a 31-year-old female pedestrian, and a 29-year-old female pedestrian.
The driver also hit a food cart on the sidewalk, two parked cars, and a vehicle on the road. According to the police, two officers and the passenger secured injuries in the process. However, their conditions and identities remain unknown.
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The driver is now in police custody and is facing attempted murder and reckless driving charges. This accident is one of the many that has been reported, along with crimes, this new year.
One of the first homicides recorded involved a young girl who was shot while celebrating New Year with her friends. The killer was an 18-year-old teen like her, and he is now in police custody as well.
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