Unlicensed driver charged after two killed in Bensonhurst crash
The city recorded two deaths and five injuries after police said Vitaliy Konoplyov ran a red light at 18th Avenue and 64th Street and hit a Honda driver who had the green light.
What We Know
At about 12:47 p.m. on March 20, 2023, a crash at 18th Avenue and 64th Street in Bensonhurst killed two people and injured five others. Police told reporters that Vitaliy Konoplyov, 49, drove south on 18th Avenue, ran a red light and hit a Honda HRV whose driver had a green light. A 51-year-old Honda driver died, and a woman crossing 18th Avenue with the walk signal also died. The city crash record lists the pedestrian as 65; police accounts reported by local outlets described her as 60. Police said Konoplyov was unlicensed and was charged with manslaughter and aggravated unlicensed operation.
Police described a red-light crash at the intersection
Police said Vitaliy Konoplyov, 49, drove a 2015 Toyota Camry south on 18th Avenue, ran a red light near 64th Street and hit the driver’s side of a 2016 Honda HRV whose 51-year-old driver was heading east on 64th Street with a steady green light.
After the first impact, police said the Honda driver suffered head and body trauma and was pronounced dead at Maimonides Medical Center. Police also said the Honda driver then spun into a woman who was crossing 18th Avenue with the walk signal; she was taken to the same hospital and died there.
Two people died, and the pedestrian’s age was reported differently
The official city record lists two deaths: a 65-year-old female pedestrian who was crossing with the signal at the intersection, and a 51-year-old male driver. The same record lists five motorists injured.
Press accounts based on police information described the woman who died as 60, while the official city record lists her as 65.
The crash happened in Bensonhurst at 18th Avenue and 64th Street
The city crash record places the collision at 18th Avenue and 64th Street in Brooklyn’s 11204 ZIP code. News accounts identified the area as Bensonhurst and said first responders took victims to Maimonides Medical Center and NYU Langone Hospital.
Police and records identified the involved vehicles
The city record lists a 2015 Toyota sedan traveling south, a 2016 Honda SUV traveling east, a 2021 Chevrolet SUV traveling south, and a parked 2021 Chevrolet SUV. Police told the Post that Konoplyov drove the Toyota Camry and that the 51-year-old man drove the Honda HRV.
The city record and police accounts pointed to traffic control
The city crash record lists Traffic Control Disregarded as a contributing factor for the Toyota sedan. Police told reporters that Konoplyov ran a red light before the crash; the Post reported that investigators had not said what caused him to lose control.
Police arrested the Toyota driver after the crash
Police said Konoplyov remained at the scene and was taken into custody. The Post reported that he faced manslaughter and two counts of aggravated unlicensed operation, while Brooklyn Paper reported that police charged him with two counts of manslaughter and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.