Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf is a New York Plaintiff's personal injury law firm specializing in automobile accidents, construction accidents, medical malpractice, products liability, police misconduct and all types of New York personal injury litigation.

Articles Tagged with brooklyn wrongful death

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location-of-the-deadly-accident-on-Eastern-ParkWayBy the Brooklyn Car Accident Lawyers at Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf

An 8-year-old boy was recently struck and killed at the intersection of Eastern Parkway and Albany Avenue in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, a tragic and avoidable death that underscores the growing threat posed by oversized vehicles on our city streets.

Mordechai Keller, a young pedestrian barely tall enough to clear the bumper of the SUV that killed him, was crossing Albany Avenue with the light when he was fatally struck by a 2011 Honda Pilot. Surveillance video shows the SUV advancing through the intersection as the light changed, hitting the child. The driver, a 69-year-old man with multiple prior speeding and red-light violations, was not charged.

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Tiffany Cefuni killed in BK car accidentAs Brooklyn car accident lawyers with deep experience handling hit-and-run litigation, we are horrified by the senseless death of Tiffany Cifuni, a 32-year-old woman who was fatally struck after a minor crash in Bedford-Stuyvesant last Saturday night. The incident not only highlights the risks pedestrians face immediately after collisions, it underscores the urgent need for accountability when reckless drivers choose to flee.

According to the NYPD, the tragedy unfolded just before midnight near Van Buren Street and Marcus Garvey Boulevard. Ms. Cifuni, who was in her first trimester of pregnancy, had just returned from the Beyoncé concert at MetLife Stadium. She stepped out of her Toyota 4Runner to inspect the damage after a minor collision with a 2016 Chevy Trax. That’s when the other driver allegedly accelerated, running her over and dragging her body before fleeing the wrong way down Lafayette Avenue.

The suspect’s vehicle—a maroon Chevy Trax with temporary paper plates—smashed into multiple parked cars and a 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee before the driver abandoned the SUV and fled on foot. Ms. Cifuni was transported to Kings County Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

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fatal-brokklyn-intersection-Scott-and-FlushingAs New York truck accident lawyers, we understand the devastating consequences that unsafe roadway design can have, not just for pedestrians and cyclists, but for drivers as well. A recent announcement by the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) to redesign a hazardous Bushwick intersection highlights a tragic reality: too often, meaningful safety improvements come only after a life has been lost.

Last August, 29-year-old motorcyclist Philippe Haussmann was fatally struck by a box truck driver at the intersection of Scott and Flushing Avenues in Bushwick. The collision took place at a complicated and confusing section of the roadway where poor visibility and unclear traffic controls have long posed a danger to motorists and non-motorists alike.

Following significant advocacy from Haussmann’s family and local officials, the DOT has proposed a series of long-overdue changes to improve safety in this critical area, which sits at the nexus of residential, commercial, and industrial zones along the Brooklyn-Queens border.

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Fatal Brooklyn car accident location on Quentin road and Ocean ParkwayA devastating car crash in Brooklyn has once again underscored the urgent need for legislative action to hold repeat speeding offenders accountable. As Brooklyn car accident lawyers with decades of experience representing families shattered by preventable tragedies, we echo the community’s demand for real solutions—not just condolences—when reckless driving takes innocent lives.

On Saturday, 34-year-old Natasha Saada and her two young daughters, Diana (8) and Deborah (5), were struck and killed while walking on Ocean Parkway near Quentin Avenue in Midwood. Her 4-year-old son, Philip, remains in critical condition. The driver, Miriam Yarimi, who had an extensive history of speeding violations—including 21 speeding tickets, 15 of which occurred in school zones—now faces multiple felony charges, including manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.

This crash is not an isolated incident. Brooklyn streets, particularly high-speed corridors like Ocean Parkway, have long been the site of deadly pedestrian crashes involving drivers with repeat traffic offenses. What makes this case even more heartbreaking is how preventable it may have been.

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location of the Brooklyn Dump truck accidentDump trucks are among the most dangerous vehicles on New York City streets due to their massive size, limited visibility, and often reckless operation. When drivers fail to operate these vehicles safely, the consequences can be tragic. A recent hit-and-run in Williamsburg highlights the devastating impact of negligent dump truck drivers and the urgent need for accountability.

Fatal Brooklyn Dump Truck Collision

Early Saturday morning, a man in his 20s lost his life in a fatal crash involving a Mack dump truck. According to NYPD officials, the victim was crossing Withers Street near Woodpoint Road around 4 a.m. when he crouched down to pick up food he had dropped. At that moment, the dump truck driver, who had been traveling north, made a right turn and struck the man. Despite the severe impact, the driver fled the scene, leaving the victim behind.

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Imani Vance killed in a Brooklyn Car AccidentWhen an unlicensed driver gets behind the wheel, they put every pedestrian, cyclist, and passenger in danger. In Brooklyn, a family is now left grieving after an unlicensed driver, Tyree Epps, fled the scene of a devastating crash, leaving 26-year-old Imani Vance to die in the front seat of his Mercedes-Benz.

The Tragic Crash That Took a Young Life

The crash occurred on Van Sinderen Avenue in Brownsville last Thursday when Epps, speeding south in a 2008 Mercedes-Benz C300, blew through a stop sign at Blake Avenue around 1 p.m. His reckless driving led to a violent collision with a school bus, sending it careening into a parked box truck. The impact left Imani Vance with severe head trauma. Instead of helping his passenger, Epps reportedly fled the scene in a taxi, leaving Vance behind.

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stepping out of a car on Flatbush Ave is not a good ideaA tragic accident in Downtown Brooklyn late Friday night claimed the life of a 45-year-old woman after she exited a livery cab and stumbled into traffic on Flatbush Avenue near State Street. The fatal crash, which occurred outside the Atlantic Terminal Mall around 11:10 p.m., highlights the dangers pedestrians face when exiting vehicles on busy New York City roadways.

Details of the Fatal Accident

According to police reports, the livery cab had stopped in the middle lane when the woman unexpectedly exited the vehicle. She lost her footing and fell into the right lane, where she was struck by a Chevrolet Malibu driven by a 29-year-old man. Emergency medical responders rushed her to New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, but she did not survive. The driver of the Chevrolet remained at the scene, and no charges have been filed at this time.

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A 95-year-old woman who survived some of history’s most devastating events, including the Nazi occupation of Ukraine, the Chernobyl disaster, and the COVID-19 pandemic, lost her life in a tragic car accident on a Brooklyn street.

Mayya Gil was fatally struck by a cargo van on Cropsey Avenue near her Bensonhurst home while walking with her home health aide on Thursday afternoon. Despite her incredible resilience through decades of hardship, her life was cut short in a preventable traffic collision.location of the deadly Brooklyn Car Accident

The Incident

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location of the reckless fatal accidentA devastating accident on Myrtle Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant serves as a harsh reminder of the life-threatening risks faced by construction workers who work hard to ensure our city’s development. On October 29, 2024, a 37-year-old construction flagger, Luis Mario Sangurima, lost his life after being struck by a driver recklessly navigating around a box truck. Sangurima was directing traffic near a construction site when he was hit by a speeding van that crossed into oncoming traffic, underscoring the perils that flaggers and construction site workers face daily on Brooklyn’s streets.

The driver, Clyde Mercury, reportedly attempted to bypass a slow-moving truck by veering into the opposite lane. This act of impatience led to a fatal outcome, with Mercury now facing charges of criminally negligent homicide, reckless endangerment, reckless driving, and failure to exercise due care. As Brooklyn personal injury attorneys, we see the dire consequences that arise when drivers ignore traffic rules and fail to respect construction zones. Tragedies like this are preventable when drivers are responsible and follow basic safety protocols around construction areas.

Construction zones, especially in busy urban areas like Brooklyn, require vigilant attention from both drivers and workers. Often, flaggers like Sangurima are the first line of defense for work crews, directing traffic to protect colleagues and pedestrians. By donning reflective gear and guiding vehicles past narrow lanes, they ensure the safety of everyone around the construction site. However, when drivers disregard these signals and attempt dangerous maneuvers, they put lives at risk.

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Intersection of Dekalb and Wyckoff where a pedestrian was killed by a Box truckMarco Gallardo Tirado, a 59-year-old retired Brooklyn home health aide, was fatally struck by a box truck in Bushwick while on his way to a doctor’s appointment. The accident occurred on DeKalb Avenue near Wyckoff Avenue around 9:35 a.m. on Friday morning. Sadly, Mr. Tirado’s life was cut short just blocks from Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, where he was rushed but could not be saved.

The driver, identified as Lennis Escalona Luna, did not stop at the scene but was later identified through his truck’s U.S. Department of Transportation number. He now faces charges of failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care. However, the emotional toll on Mr. Tirado’s family is immeasurable, as they mourn the loss of a kind and caring man who had simply been on his way to a routine checkup.

This incident is just one of several fatal truck accidents that have plagued New York City over the past few days, bringing increased urgency to the conversation around pedestrian safety. As truck traffic continues to rise in the city, especially in densely populated areas like Brooklyn, so too does the risk to pedestrians.