A 30-year-old woman has died from injuries sustained when a suspected drunk driver plowed into a crowd celebrating Independence Day at a Lower East Side park on Tuesday, making her the fourth person killed in the horrific crash.
Emily Lewis had been hospitalized since last Thursday when suspect Daniel Christopher Hayden was driving a Ford F-150 pickup truck while drunk, swerving off the sidewalk and into Corey’s Hook Park.
Lewis, who lived across the street from the park, died five days after succumbing to his injuries, police said Thursday.
Hyden, a 44-year-old substance abuse counselor who wrote the book “The Sober Addict,” has been jailed without bail since the fatal accident.
He was charged with assault with a deadly weapon causing serious injury, aggravated vehicular homicide, driving while intoxicated and operating a vehicle without a license (because he was driving while his license was suspended).
Hyden, who has a history of DUI arrests in multiple states, is being held in protective custody, much to the dismay of the victim’s family.
The man, a self-described drug addict, is accused of murdering Lucille Pinckney, 59, her son Herman Pinckney, 38, and Anna Morell, 43, who lived near the scene of the crash.
Seven others were injured, including Herman’s longtime girlfriend, Jessica Perot, and her 11-year-old son, Jacob Velazquez.
