Updated: Cops cuffed the driver who struck and killed a woman in a crosswalk of a Brooklyn intersection, the NYPD said on July 8.
On June 30, police offered preliminary information about the death of 33-year-old Ingrid Pineda-Cuellar, who was struck by 78-year-old Jean Victorin as she crossed Utica Avenue at 6:53 a.m. on June 27. Police said Victorin, who was driving a 2014 Toyota Sienna, struck Pineda-Cuellar as he made a left turn from Avenue L onto Utica.
Pineda-Cuellar was rushed to Kings County Hospital, where she died. The driver remained at the scene but was not immediately issued any tickets.
But more than a week later, on July 8, police arrested Victorin and charged him with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care.
The NYPD did not provide the following information:
- Whether the driver was speeding.
- Whether he was listening to loud music.
- Whether he was distracted.
- Whether he was using his phone at the time of the crash.
Such information rarely is made available, even after lengthy investigations.
In the last 12 months, there were 3,119 crashes in the 63rd Precinct, roughly nine per day, causing a total of 1,059 injuries — 131 to pedestrians and 36 cyclists. There were also five fatalities: one cyclist, one pedestrian and three motorists. There have been a total of 39 crashes, causing 22 injuries, at the intersection of Utica Avenue and Avenue L since June 2016, data shows.
Pineda-Cuellar, who is at least the 100th traffic fatality this year, according to the Department of Transportation, whose data shows that road deaths are up 15 percent this year compared to the same period last year. She is the second person killed in the 63rd Precinct this year — a driver hit and killed 29-year-old Robert Sommer as he was biking on Avenue U near E. 33rd Street on May 12.
