Bala Cynwyd man charged in crash that killed a pregnant woman

A Bala Cynwyd man has been charged with summary traffic offenses in what police described as an accidental crash that killed a pregnant West Philadelphia woman and her unborn child in December.

Alan Rosenbaum, 81, was charged earlier this week with two counts of careless driving and related crimes in the Dec. 30 crash that killed Latoya Handy-Hunter, 36, as she left the Merion Memorial Park cemetery.

Handy-Hunter had visited the cemetery with her late friend’s children to honor her friend’s birthday, according to Darneesha Handy, Handy-Hunter’s sister.

Handy told The Inquirer in January that her older sister was her best friend, a loving mother, and a dedicated family woman. Losing her, she said, was a senseless tragedy.

“This is only Day 1 for me. This is a lifetime I have to go through,” Handy said days after her sister’s memorial service. “Without Latoya, there’s nothing.”

Lower Merion Police said the crash occurred at 2:47 p.m. outside of the cemetery, located on West Rock Hill Road near Bryn Mawr Avenue.

Investigators ruled that the crash was caused by “driver error,” according to a statement. Rosenbaum, the driver, was charged with summary offenses, less serious crimes than felonies or misdemeanors that are usually punished with fines.

Rosenbaum’s vehicle struck two parked cars, as well as five pedestrians, according to police. Handy-Hunter, who was five months pregnant at the time, was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was later pronounced dead along with her unborn son, whom she planned to name Tatum, according to her family.

Rosenbaum, in an interview Thursday, described the crash as “a horrible accident.” He said he was not speeding at the time, going 13 mph when he made a turn onto Rock Hill Road to find a group of people blocking the narrow street.

He tried to avoid them, he said, but cars were parked on either side of the road, and he had nowhere to direct his vehicle. When he hit the brakes, he said, the car did not slow.

“I tried, I thought I put brakes on,” Rosenbaum said. “I don’t know why the brakes didn’t work. For the life of me, I didn’t understand it.”

After the crash, Rosenbaum said, he was assaulted by people who were with Handy-Hunter at the time, and had to be taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

“This was a horrible accident,” he said. “I’m not over it. I’ll never be over it.”