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Maryanne Lewis was fined $136, in addition to a $250 state surcharge and $25 in court costs by Municipal Judge R Alan Karch. Accompanied by her husband and attorney, she said little during the hearing and quietly paid the fine afterward.
Karch, while noting that it was her first offense, also required Lewis to requalify for a driver’s license.
He also said that the victim, Hillsdale ski instructor Ruta Fiorino (photo, above), can still sue her in civil court.
Fiorino didn’t attend the brief hearing in Westwood.
Attorneys for both sides said the case had been forwarded to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office for possible charges above the careless driving that Lewis originally was cited for. But the presiding judge sent it back to the local court for disposition on that summons.
It was just after 3:15 p.m. on Nov. 13 when Fiorino, a married mother of three who works at the supermarket, had finished her shift and gone out front to get a cart to do some shopping.
Lewis had emerged from shopping moments earlier and was helped putting the packages in her car by an employee.
Lewis told police she got behind the wheel intending to back out of a handicap space in front of the store when her car suddenly lurched forward, slamming Fiorino through a store window.
Fiorino was airlifted by Air-Med 1 to Hackensack Medical Center, where doctors removed her right leg from just above the knee.
A series of fundraising events tied to a “Rooting for Ruta” Facebook page have been staged for Fiorino — among them, a 5K run and open mic night last month. A separate page, started on the website CaringBridge, also has garnered donations and messages of love and support.
What’s more, Hilldale firefighters and other volunteers united to build a special handicap access ramp for her.
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