SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY (WABC/CNN) – A woman in New York was killed on Mother’s Day by an out-of-control car after pushing her daughter to safety.
Diane Aluska, 55, and her 16-year-old daughter Jenna left Sunday mass, crossed the street and were walking on the sidewalk, police say.
An 80-year-old woman, Ann Riolo, had parked her car nearby while she went to the bakery, according to authorities. After her trip, she got back in the car and pulled out of the space.
“She had thought that she put it in drive. She left it in reverse, hit the gas, started speeding backwards, lost control and jumped the sidewalk,” said James Murphy with the Suffolk County Police Department.
A mother of three, Diane Aluska saw the speeding car coming towards her and Jenna. She had a split-second in which she pushed her daughter out of the way.
The car hit both mother and daughter before striking a fire station. Thanks to her mother, Jenna escaped with non-life-threatening injuries.
“I knew that I had witnessed something very, very tragic and sad. I knew she wasn’t going to… survive. I just knew it,” witness Frank Nostro said.
Nostro says he and other bystanders rushed to push the car off Diane Aluska.
“Somebody put it in gear, and then we got the car going, you know? And then I saw the woman on her back,” Nostro said.
Diane Aluska was rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
“What keeps going through my mind is, you know, somebody lost their mom,” Nostro said.
Officials say this appears to be an accident, but they are still investigating.
The driver of the car was also treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
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