NYPD: “No Criminality” When SUV Drivers Collide, Plow Into Family

No one was criminally responsible for a grisly high-speed crash in Brooklyn this weekend that left one bystander dead and three members of her family injured, according to NYPD.

Accounts vary regarding the events leading up to the crash, which occurred at W. Fifth Street and Quentin Road in Gravesend at around 2:25 p.m. Saturday. The Post reported that the driver of an Acura SUV ran a stop and plowed into a Jeep SUV, flipping the Jeep and sending it into a group of people standing on the sidewalk. But according to DNAinfo, the driver of the Jeep was speeding, and the Acura driver “lost control” and hit the pedestrians.

Witnesses recalled the horrific aftermath. From the Post:

“My mother and I heard screaming and a huge explosion coming from [the street.] I immediately thought my brother could be out there,” said Diana Babbo, 18.

“I ran up the street and saw that a Jeep was flipped over. An entire family was pinned between the jeep and a parked car on the street,” she said.

“A lady was completely dead or passed out. It was horrifying. An infant and two other people were under the car. It was so terrible. I’m trembling thinking about it.”

Babbo bawled as they pulled the car off the woman, she said.

“She was turning blue,” the teen recalled.

“The guy driving the Jeep had his head cracked open. He was walking towards the police after they cut him out of his car.”

Chenugor Dao, 60, died later at Lutheran Medical Center, where her husband, daughter and granddaughter, age 1, were admitted in stable condition. Accounts are inconsistent, but multiple passengers in the Jeep were reported hospitalized with serious injuries.

“Cars do not stop at this crosswalk on a regular basis,” said local resident Sal Baglieri, to DNAinfo. A woman who witnessed the crash said: “This happens every couple of weeks. I don’t even feel safe standing here. Six weeks ago a car pinned a pedestrian by the wall there.”

Per the Post: “No criminality is suspected, and the cause of the accident is still unknown, cops said.” And there you have it: Before determining the cause of a fatal traffic collision, even one with such force that a vehicle flipped onto a sidewalk, NYPD absolves the drivers involved.

This fatal crash occurred in the 62nd Precinct. To voice your concerns about neighborhood traffic safety directly to Deputy Inspector James Rooney, the commanding officer, go to the next precinct community council meeting. The 62nd Precinct council meetings happen at 7:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month at the precinct, 1925 Bath Avenue. Call 718-236-2501 for information.

The City Council district where Chenugor Dao was killed is represented by David Greenfield. To encourage Greenfield to take action to improve street safety in his district and citywide, contact him at 718-853-2704, dgreenfield@council.nyc.gov or @NYCGreenfield.