Recent severe crashes

1. Driver hits, kills e-scooter rider in Dyker Heights 2026-07-24T21:15:00+00:00
   Brooklyn
   A 56-year-old driver in a 2012 Toyota Sienna hit 20-year-old e-scooter rider Ajpop Walter on 14th Avenue in Dyker Heights, and Walter died at Maimonides.
   Police told reporters that Ajpop Walter, 20, was riding south on 14th Avenue near 77th Street in Dyker Heights when a 56-year-old man driving a 2012 Toyota Sienna in the same direction hit him. Medics took Walter to Maimonides Medical Center, where he died. Reports said the driver remained at the scene and no arrests had been made. News12 and the Daily News placed the crash just before or about 5:15 p.m.; the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported 2:15 p.m., so public accounts disagree on the time.
2. Commercial Van Driver in FDNY Crash; Passenger Dies 2026-03-10T18:44:00+00:00
   AVENUE S
   A commercial van driver hit an FDNY fire truck responding in Gravesend, and Access-A-Ride passenger Placido Dandrea, 78, died.
   At about 6:45 p.m. on March 10, 2026, police said a commercial van driver heading north on West 11th Street hit an FDNY fire truck whose crew was responding east on Avenue S in Gravesend. The crash became a chain reaction involving an Access-A-Ride bus and a Lexus SUV. Placido Dandrea, 78, a passenger in the Access-A-Ride bus, was taken to South Brooklyn Health and died. The city crash record lists one person killed and 12 people injured. Press accounts reported 11 injured, including five firefighters, while News12 reported 10 people hospitalized. The record lists traffic control disregarded; the Daily News reported competing accounts over who had the light and whether the van driver yielded.
3. Bus Driver Fatally Hits 11-Year-Old at Bath Beach Crosswalk 2026-02-05T15:05:00+00:00
   23 AVE
   Police said Wawa Aurelus, 62, failed to yield while turning a school bus and fatally hit 11-year-old Amira Aminova in a Bath Beach crosswalk.
   Police said bus driver Wawa Aurelus, 62, was turning a school bus at 23rd Avenue and Bath Avenue on Feb. 5, 2026, when he hit 11-year-old Amira Aminova as she crossed Bath Avenue in a marked crosswalk. The official crash record says the girl was crossing with the signal and lists failure to yield right-of-way as a contributing factor. Reporters cited police saying Aurelus did not remain at the scene; accounts differed on whether officers found him minutes later or hours later. Police charged him with failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care, while CBS reported that police said he was not charged with leaving the scene because he said he was not aware of the crash. Amira was taken to Maimonides Medical Center, where she died.
4. Distracted moped rider slams teen passenger 2026-01-14T09:48:00+00:00
   86 ST
   A distracted moped rider going east on 86th Street hit parked and moving SUVs, ejecting a 15-year-old passenger and leaving him with crush injuries. Morning in Bensonhurst, and a kid paid for an adult’s inattention.
   According to the police report, a moped rider heading east on 86th Street near 24th Avenue hit a parked SUV and then an SUV driven northbound. Police recorded driver inattention and disregard of traffic control by the moped rider. A 15-year-old male passenger on the moped was ejected and suffered crush injuries to his entire body. Other occupants were listed; the report does not describe their injuries.
5. Inexperienced driver crash hurts Bay Parkway passenger 2026-06-03T20:55:00+00:00
   8973 BAY PKWY
   Police cited driver inexperience after a crash near 8973 Bay Parkway. An 18-year-old front-seat passenger was injured with internal injuries.
   According to the police report, two drivers going straight ahead near 8973 Bay Parkway crashed around 8:55 p.m. on June 3 in Brooklyn. Police recorded driver inexperience as a contributing factor. An 18-year-old woman riding as a front-seat passenger was injured; her injuries were listed as internal and affecting her entire body.