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

Turning Cab Driver Severely Injures Senior on Nostrand Avenue

Nostrand Avenue at Quentin Road. Image: Google Maps

A livery cab driver was arrested after severely injuring a senior on Nostrand Avenue this morning, a few blocks from where a woman was fatally struck by motorists while crossing Nostrand last month.

The crash happened at around 6 a.m. Ira Kleigman, 65, was in the crosswalk when 79-year-old Paul Graden struck him while turning left onto westbound Quentin Road from northbound Nostrand, according to NYPD and the Daily News.

NYPD did not specify whether Kleigman was walking across Nostrand or Quentin when he was hit.

Kleigman sustained head trauma and was transported to Kings County Hospital in critical condition. The NYPD Collision Investigation Squad was dispatched to the scene, police told Streetsblog.

From the News:

Graden, who stayed at the scene, was handcuffed by cops and driven away in an unmarked police car. He was later released with a desk appearance ticket for failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care, police said.

Nostrand Avenue is one of Brooklyn's most dangerous streets for walking, according to the borough’s DOT pedestrian safety action plan. Motorists killed seven pedestrians on Nostrand from 2009 to 2013. There were 68 crashes causing death or severe injury on the street during that period.

The site of today's crash is about a half-mile south of Nostrand Avenue at Kings Highway, where in January a school bus driver and a second motorist struck and killed Hermanda Booker, a 29-year-old teacher walking to work.

The DOT pedestrian action plan does not single out the intersection of Nostrand Avenue and Quentin Road -- or the crossing where Booker died -- for safety improvements.

This morning's crash occurred in the 61st Precinct, and in the City Council district represented by Chaim Deutsch.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Friday’s Headlines: From Hero to Zero Edition

Mayor Mamdani's sympathy for cyclists over the Williamsburg Bridge has yet to trickle down to his NYPD. Plus more news.

January 9, 2026

Bill Watch: New York Still Needs to Commit to Lowering Vehicle Miles Traveled

The state Legislature could use 2026 as a year to find a solution to reducing the number of cars traveling across the state, but it may be more of the same. The post Bill Watch: New York Still Needs to Commit to Lowering Vehicle Miles Traveled appeared...

January 9, 2026

‘Zohramp’ At Williamsburg Bridge Still NYPD Ticket Trap … For Cyclists

Meanwhile, driver after driver blew the adjacent red light with impunity.

January 8, 2026

The ‘Affordability Crisis’ Conversation Can’t Leave Out the Cost of Cars

We can't talk about Americans' empty wallets without talking about our empty buses and sidewalks.

January 8, 2026

What Is A Life Worth In NYC? In Fatal Crashes, Sometimes Just $50

Drivers who kill pedestrians often face minimal punishment, a Streetsblog investigation found.

January 8, 2026
See all posts