Driver: Van failed before deadly NY sidewalk wreck

NEW YORK – A driver accused of drunkenly mowing down a pregnant woman on a bustling New York City sidewalk has told jurors he lost control of the van because its engine failed — not because he had been drinking.

Keston Brown testified Thursday that he had three beers and a shot of cognac within about two hours before the March 2009 crash. Ysemny Ramos (yuh-SEH'-muh-nee RAY'-mohs) was killed and another woman hurt.

Prosecutors say Brown's blood-alcohol level topped the legal limit and that he was distracted by a passenger's wolf-whistling at passing women.

The 28-year-old Brown says he was focused on controlling the 20-year-old van after its engine abruptly shut off. He says he ultimately couldn't stop it from jumping a curb near the Empire State Building.