“It was horrible”: elderly woman was killed in New York; driver fled at full speed

An elderly woman who was crossing a street in Brooklyn (NYC) was killed yesterday when she was hit by a driver who was traveling at full speed and did not stop after the accident. according to witnesses and the police.

“As soon as it hit, it accelerated,” he told Daily News a 62-year-old witness who did not want to be identified. “He never slowed down…his (the victim’s) purse and makeup were scattered all over the street. It was horrible”.

The unidentified 72-year-old woman was near Marine Ave. and 96th St. in Fort Hamilton when the driver of a dark-colored sedan drove toward her around 6:50 p.m. Thursday.

The driver crashed into the woman who, according to a witness, “He was peacefully crossing the street.” After being hit, the victim “Fell off the roof and windshield and ended up trapped under a parked car. “She was thrown away and he kept going.”

The shopping cart the victim was carrying was dragged about 70 feet as the driver fled down Marine Ave. When paramedics arrived at the scene, the woman was already dead.

Police were still searching for the hit-and-run driver. No suspects have been identified. Anyone with information should call at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) and in Spanish 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Also through the page crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or by text message to 274637 (CRIMES), followed by TIP577. All communications are strictly confidential.

Fatal road accidents are a constant in New York: on Monday a pedestrian was hit and killed twice in Brooklyn and both drivers fled. The day before, early Sunday morning, a 30-year-old Hispanic man died when the car he was driving crashed into a tree on the outskirts of Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronxalso leaving his passenger seriously injured.

On Friday the 10th, a Latina grandmother was killed by a bus with children while dropping her granddaughters off at school in Queens.

The authorities remember that there is zero tolerance for drivers who drive at excess speed and/or under the influence of alcohol and drugs..

Traffic accidents are a great challenge in New York. This despite “Vision Zero” road safety plan created in 2014 by the then new mayor Bill de Blasio, who promised to make the city safer for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists with a goal of zero deaths by 2024. According to the NYPD, Cyclist deaths increased 260% in the first six months of 2023 and 325% since the implementation of the “Vision Zero” plan in 2014. In many cases the drivers flee.

Incidents between pedestrians and cyclists, some fatal, are also frequent. In September, 69-year-old teacher Priscilla Loke was killed by an electric bicycle in a crosswalk in Chinatown. The rider fled, even though the accident happened in front of an NYPD patrol car in broad daylight.

Even with more signs and designated lanes, in recent years NYC has seen a increase in collisions where bicycle and scooter drivers are both victims and aggressors, hitting pedestrians, disrespecting traffic lights and even the direction of the roads. It is also common to see them on the sidewalks at high speed and without lights or helmets.