Man Struck in Brooklyn Was 16th Senior Killed Walking NYC Streets in 2017

2:42 PM EDT on April 6, 2017

Thirteenth Avenue and 83rd Street, where a driver fatally struck a 71-year-old man Wednesday. Image: Google Maps

A motorist killed a 71-year-old man walking in Dyker Heights last night, bringing to 16 the number of senior pedestrians fatally struck by drivers in 2017, according to crash data tracked by Streetsblog.

People age 65 and older make up 13 percent of NYC’s population but account for 57 percent of pedestrian fatalities this year.

NYPD told Streetsblog the victim, whose name had not been released as of this afternoon, was crossing 13th Avenue at around 7 p.m. when the driver, southbound on 13th, hit him with a Toyota minivan.

NYPD said the victim was crossing "between" 83rd and 84th streets, but photos published by the Daily News show the minivan stopped just south of the intersection of 13th and 83rd.

The victim sustained head and body trauma and was pronounced dead on arrival at Maimonides Medical Center, according to NYPD.

A photo of the minivan indicates the victim impacted the windshield, a sign of a high-speed collision.

From the News:

“Horrific, never saw so much blood in my life,” said John DiDamo, 43, who works at the My Way Car Service nearby.
"I went upstairs and heard a crash. I look out the window, I see the guy is laying down in the street," said Hallack, who lives on the same block as the crash. "I went outside, I see him on the ground. The blood is running like crazy."

The News identified the driver as 32-year-old Solomon Brach. NYPD had no information on how fast he was going or how he failed to see the victim. Thirteenth Avenue is a two-lane neighborhood street lined with residences, shops, and churches -- a street where drivers should expect people to be walking.

The News reported that Brach told witnesses, “I'm sorry, I made a mistake. This is the second time this happened to me."

In the Daily News photos, the minivan does not have a license plate on the front bumper, which New York requires, or a New York inspection sticker on the windshield. It's unknown where the vehicle is registered.

No charges were filed and the investigation is ongoing, NYPD said.

This fatal crash occurred in the 68th Precinct, where in 2016 officers issued between one and two speeding tickets a day, on average, and in the City Council district represented by Vincent Gentile.

Brad Aaron @

Brad Aaron began writing for Streetsblog in 2007, after years as a reporter, editor, and publisher in the alternative weekly business. Brad adopted New York's dysfunctional traffic justice system as his primary beat for Streetsblog. He lives in Manhattan.

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