Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Brooklyn

Breaking Carnage: Driver on Sidewalk at Court and Degraw

This just in from Streetsblog contributor Laura Conaway:

Bystanders said a driver, an older woman, had a stroke while behind the wheel and hit several cars. She was traveling south on Court Street and hit her first car, so far as I could tell, at the corner of Degraw Street.

This happened minutes before 8 a.m. I had just stepped out of the house to buy a loaf of bread on that corner. Apparently the police were able to stop her right after it happened, but the whole scene was straight out of Jane Jacobs, with people racing out of stores to help.

On my way to the store, I happened to see an older gentleman walking a dog -- recognized them both, just people from the neighborhood. That's his dog, Muffin, lying dead under a brown towel, in the picture.

Looked like the original driver, the one with the stroke, rear-ended this red car, which then went up on the curb near a very popular coffee shop, D'Amico's. Ten minutes later and coffee-drinkers would have lined that stretch of sidewalk.

The car was stopped a block away.

Note: A pedestrian may have been struck by one of the vehicles involved. This has not been confirmed.

DSCN2155.JPG

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Reckless Driver Kills Cyclist, Injures Four Others in Harlem Crash That Shows Need For Speed Caps

The 8 p.m. crash comes just a few days after Mayor Mamdani was criticized by the pro-car right for announcing that speed-limit reductions in school zones would be in effect all day, not just during school hours.

March 20, 2026

Mamdani’s Regulatory War on Delivery Apps Under Threat Amid Budget Crunch

Mamdani's budget slashes funding for the agency responsible for enacting his plans to regulate delivery apps.

March 20, 2026

FLIP THE SWITCH: Brooklyn Panel Asks DOT To Take Over Parking Enforcement From NYPD

Remember, the Department of Transportation handed out parking tickets until a government reorganization by Mayor Rudy Giuliani in 1996.

March 20, 2026

Fact Check: No, Mamdani Is Not Letting Bike Scofflaws ‘Off the Hook’

For the sake of the ill-informed, we break down the myths and facts surrounding Mamdani's new policy.

March 20, 2026

Friday’s Headlines: Nice on Ninth Edition

The city is doing the right thing on Ninth Avenue. Plus other news.

March 20, 2026

‘How Do You Do That to People?’ Crash Victims Speak Out Against Hochul’s Car Insurance Agenda

"Her supposition that, 'There’s a lot of fraud and people are faking these injuries in order to get million-dollar payouts' is preposterous," said one crash victim.

March 19, 2026
See all posts