Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
Miriam Yarimi, who previously pleaded guilty to killing three people in a Brooklyn crash, is now claiming a medical episode caused the fatal collision in a separate civil lawsuit filed by the victims’ family. The crash killed 34-year-old Natasha Saada and her two daughters, ages 5 and 8, while also injuring her son Philip, who was hospitalized for months, according to News 12 Brooklyn.
Yarimi had accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to three to nine years in prison for the Ocean Parkway crash. She initially pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges but later changed her plea. During her November sentencing, Yarimi cried and apologized in court, telling the judge she “accepts full responsibility for her actions,” News 12 reports.
However, in an affidavit filed as part of the civil suit brought by the Saada family seeking damages, Yarimi has dramatically changed her account of what happened. “After traveling on Ocean Parkway for approximately five seconds, I had a medical emergency which caused me to lose consciousness,” Yarimi stated in the court filing. “It is my contention that but for the medical emergency that I experienced, this accident would not have happened.”
News 12 previously reported that Yarimi was driving on a suspended license and was traveling at three times the speed limit when the crash occurred. When she accepted her criminal plea deal, Yarimi admitted in court that her reckless driving was the cause of the fatal collision.
The Saada family’s attorney for the civil case, Hershel Kulefsky, dismissed Yarimi’s medical emergency claim as a financial ploy. “It’s disgusting. It’s outrageous. It’s all about her not wanting to, you know, she wants to keep her money in her pocket, not in their pocket,” Kulefsky told News 12.
Kulefsky pointed out the timing and absence of any previous mention of a medical episode. “She didn’t have the story until this motion was made. She never said it to the cops. She didn’t say to anyone. She didn’t say in criminal court,” the attorney stated. News 12 reached out to Yarimi’s legal representative but had not received a response at the time of their report.
Location & Road Context
The fatal crash occurred on Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, according to court documents filed in the civil case. Ocean Parkway is a major north-south thoroughfare in Brooklyn that runs from Prospect Park to Brighton Beach, serving as a critical transportation corridor for residents traveling between central Brooklyn neighborhoods and the southern waterfront areas.
The parkway has historically been the site of numerous traffic incidents due to its length and the volume of vehicles it carries daily through densely populated residential areas.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
The criminal case against Yarimi has been resolved with her guilty plea and sentencing to three to nine years in prison. However, the civil lawsuit filed by the Saada family seeking monetary damages remains active, with court proceedings expected to take place this week, according to News 12’s reporting.
The stark contradiction between Yarimi’s acceptance of responsibility in criminal court and her new claims of a medical emergency in civil court represents a significant shift in her legal strategy. In the criminal proceedings, she admitted that her reckless driving caused the deaths, but her civil case affidavit now attempts to establish that an unforeseen medical condition was the primary cause.
Broader Impact
The case highlights the complex legal landscape victims’ families often face when pursuing both criminal justice and civil remedies after fatal traffic crashes. While criminal cases focus on punishment and public safety, civil suits aim to provide financial compensation for damages, creating scenarios where defendants may present conflicting narratives in different courts. The timing of Yarimi’s medical emergency claim—emerging only after criminal sentencing and during civil proceedings—underscores the challenges families face in securing accountability across multiple legal venues.