See this story at BrooklynDaily.com.
By Will Bredderman
Brooklyn Daily
Bay Ridge’s Fourth Avenue once again became a scene of roadway carnage April 30 when a driver struck and killed an elderly woman crossing the thoroughfare.
At 10:39 am, a white Cadillac Escalade headed down 82nd Street, turned onto the corridor in the direction of Sunset Park — and rammed into an 80-plus-year-old woman in the crosswalk.
The Fire Department said one of its ambulances brought the woman to Lutheran Medical Center, where she later died.
The driver remained at the scene and a police spokeswoman said an investigation is ongoing. But, she said they had no evidence that the motorist was speeding or breaking any other traffic laws.
Witnesses pointed out that the woman was already in the crosswalk when struck, and state law grants right of way to pedestrians over drivers when both have the light.
Liz Lauricella, who lives nearby did not witness the accident, said she recognized the Escalade and alleged that she frequently sees it speeding down the block to catch the light.
“I’ve had that car stop just short of hitting me in the past,” Lauricella said
Fourth Avenue has seen a rash of pedestrian accidents this year. A federal study declared the thoroughfare the third most dangerous in Brooklyn.
The April 30 collision occurred on the corridor that the city has targeted for a controversial makeover. The plan would strip away a driving lane in each direction between Ovington Avenue and 84th Street, and create an elevated concrete island on the south side of the intersection with 86th Street.
The plan — which will go before Community Board 10 in the next few months — hit opposition when unveiled at a March 21 forum.
Reach reporter Will Bredderman at wbredderman@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4507. Follow him at twitter.com/WillBredderman.