A Queens mother is suing the city because her daughter was killed by a drug-addled driver when she was supposed to be in foster care. Algerlin Willis announced on Wednesday that she intends to file a $10 million suit against the Administration for Children's Services and Little Flower Children's Services of New York for the October death of her 15-year-old daughter, Katherine, who perished when a woman who had smoked crack, used heroin, and drank alcohol earlier in the day drove a van full of foster children into oncoming traffic.
According to the Daily News, Willis contends the city was "negligent, careless and reckless" in placing Katherine in the care of foster parent Genevieve Bethea, 61, who allowed her 45-year-old daughter Sheila Bethea to drive the kids in an uninsured van without making them wear seatbelts. Bethea — who has a long record of drug arrests and a drunk driving conviction — is facing manslaughter, assault, and child endangerment charges after reportedly telling cops she used drugs and drank alcohol before the crash (she also allegedly hid a crack pipe in a body cavity after the accident).
"Five foster kids without safety belts in an uninsured minivan — that's horrifying," said Mark Jay Heller, a lawyer for Willis. "Now we have to look at this case as a catalyst for changing the foster care field." The lawyer said Willis, who suffers from various disabilities, had put her daughter in foster care for most of her life because "[i]t was just more than she could handle."
