Holocaust survivor dies from hit-and-run injuries
05/16/2012 09:20
Fania Feizelberg was struck three weeks ago while being pushed in wheelchair on Haifa sidewalk; suspect set to stand trial.
[illustrative photo] Photo: Benoit Tessier / Reuters
An elderly hit-and-run victim died of her injuries on Wednesday, three weeks
after being struck by a car in Haifa, and days before the suspect’s trial was
due to begin.
Holocaust survivor Fania Feizelberg, 82, was being pushed
along in a wheelchair on the sidewalk by her daughter when both were struck from
behind.
The 61-year-old daughter, Larissa Goldenberg, remains
hospitalized in moderate condition.
The trial of the 23-year-old suspect,
Moran Maron of Haifa, was due to begin this week, though now state prosecutors
have asked for a delay so that they can amend the charges in light of the
death.
Police said that after the accident he abandoned his vehicle near
the scene and fled on foot. Police launched a wide-scale search before Maron
turned himself in.
During the initial investigation, the suspect refused
to speak to police.
Maron has a record of property theft, drugs and
driving offenses despite having his license revoked.
Two additional
suspects who sat in the vehicle as passengers were also charged.
The
charge sheet specified how the three continued driving without stopping to offer
assistance, abandoning their vehicle near a Haifa beach in the Bat Galim
area.
Before leaving the car behind, the suspects allegedly removed its
license plates to avoid being caught.
Maron faces charges of abandoning
the scene of an accident with casualties, driving without a license, negligent
driving, endangering lives and causing harm to others.