Moment helpful rabbi, 75, who was assisting a woman to park her Jaguar mows down two pedestrians, aged 44 and 79, and demolishes a pharmacy
- Ralph Berisch claims that he mixed the Jaguar’s brake and accelerator pedals
- As he helped a woman park the car, it reversed then mounted the pavement
- Berisch ran over two pedestrians, one aged 79, in Golders Green in March 2018
- He has pleaded not guilty to causing serious injury while driving dangerously
A 75-year-old rabbi ran over two pedestrians and demolished a pharmacy while helping a woman park her Jaguar, a court heard today.
Ralph Berisch claims that he mixed the brake and accelerator pedals as he reached 20mph on a pavement in Golders Green, London while helping a woman park.
The septuagenarian, of Woodstock Avenue, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of causing serious injury while driving dangerously in March 2018.
Harrow Crown Court heard how the rabbi told police at the scene: ‘I put the car in drive, I don’t know what happened. It took off, I couldn’t control it.’
CCTV played to a jury shows the moment that Berisch helped a woman park her X-type Jaguar, which has over twice the horsepower of his Toyota Yaris.
CCTV played at court shows the moment that Berisch helped a woman park her X-type Jaguar, which has over twice the horsepower of his Toyota Yaris
The vehicle then reverses suddenly into a parked car, before mounting the pavement and carrying a man, 44, on its bonnet before crashing into Victoria Pharmacy.
It also collided with a 79-year-old pensioner who suffered a broken leg and toe.
David Richards, who had been visiting his children at nursery when he was run over, suffered 13 fractures to his left leg and a lacerated right arm.
Prosecuting, Nicholas Alexander said: ‘There are people going about their business, including David Richards, who had just visited his children at a local nursery.
Ralph Berisch (pictured) claims that he mixed the brake and accelerator pedals as he reached 20mph on a pavement in Golders Green, London while helping a woman park
The vehicle then reverses suddenly into a parked car, before mounting the pavement and carrying a man, 44, on its bonnet before crashing into Victoria Pharmacy
‘He describes hearing an extremely loud revving of an engine and being struck from behind and on the bonnet of the car and thinking he was going to die.’
In his statement, Mr Richards said: ‘I heard a really, really loud excessive revving behind me and the next thing I was on the bonnet, hurtling at speed.
‘I thought I was going to die and at the last second it swerved into a pharmacy. I realised my leg was broken and everything was blurry.
‘I know the rabbi behind the wheel, he is a good man it was one hundred per cent and accident and he will be suffering.’
He added: ‘It has affected my life, but I’m happy to be alive.’
Simon Elkouby, 79, saw the car coming toward him, but did not have time to avoid being struck and carried into the pharmacy.
The septuagenarian, of Woodstock Avenue, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of causing serious injury while driving dangerously in March 2018 (crash pictured)
Harrow Crown Court heard how the rabbi told police at the scene (pictured): ‘I put the car in drive, I don’t know what happened. It took off, I couldn’t control it’
It emerged that he had told police after the incident: ‘A car came across the pavement and hit me directly as I tried to escape. I lost consciousness and woke up under the car and said a prayer as I thought I was going to die.’
Eyewitness Dick Segal, 74, told Harrow Crown Court how he had watched the rabbi struggle to park the Jaguar before it took off.
Meanwhile, pharmacy boss Abbas Dosa recalled: ‘I heard a very loud crash as the car came crashing through the window of my shop.
‘I could see someone was pinned by the car and someone on the bonnet was screaming. This man had injuries to his leg and there was blood everywhere.
‘The shop suffered catastrophic damage.’
The trial continues.