Driver Fatally Hits 10-Year-Old Crossing in Williamsburg
A 62-year-old driver, Isaac Karczag, was charged after police said he turned left against the light in a 2022 Buick SUV and hit 10-year-old Yitty Wertzberger, who the city record says was crossing with the signal at Wallabout Street and Franklin Avenue.
What We Know
On April 16, 2024, a driver in a 2022 Buick SUV made a left turn at Wallabout Street and Franklin Avenue in Williamsburg and hit 10-year-old Yitty Wertzberger in the crosswalk, according to Brooklyn Paper's account of police statements. The city record says the child pedestrian was crossing with the signal and lists failure to yield as a contributing factor; the vehicle record also lists driver inattention or distraction. The official record time is 2:33 p.m., while Brooklyn Paper reported police gave the time as about 2:45 p.m. The paper identified the driver as 62-year-old Isaac Karczag and reported that police arrested him after he stayed at the scene.
A left turn as a child crossed
The city record places the crash at 2:33 p.m. on April 16, 2024, at Wallabout Street and Franklin Avenue and says a 10-year-old pedestrian was crossing with the signal when she was killed.
Brooklyn Paper, citing police, reported a slightly different time, about 2:45 p.m., and said Isaac Karczag made a left turn against the light from Wallabout Street onto Franklin Avenue, swerved into oncoming traffic, and hit Yitty Wertzberger in the crosswalk.
Yitty Wertzberger died after emergency care
Emergency responders found Yitty Wertzberger in the road with severe traumatic injuries and took her to The Brooklyn Hospital Center, where she was pronounced dead about an hour later, Brooklyn Paper reported.
The city record identifies the victim as a 10-year-old girl walking at the intersection.
The driver was in a 2022 Buick SUV
Brooklyn Paper reported that Karczag was driving a 2022 Buick SUV. City data identifies the vehicle as a 2022 Buick car/SUV and says the driver was making a left turn before the crash.
Yielding and attention are central in the record
The city crash record lists failure to yield right-of-way as the contributing factor for the crash. The vehicle record for the Buick SUV lists failure to yield right-of-way and driver inattention or distraction.
Brooklyn Paper reported that police charged Karczag with failure to yield to a pedestrian, failure to obey a traffic device, and failure to exercise due care.
Wallabout Street and Franklin Avenue sit on a high-crash corridor
The crash happened at Wallabout Street and Franklin Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
CrashCountNYC Crash Finder counts 745 crashes, 422 injuries, 22 serious injuries and 3 deaths on Franklin Avenue in Brooklyn since 2022.
Officials called for street safety changes
Karczag remained at the scene and was later arrested, Brooklyn Paper reported.
City Council Member Lincoln Restler noted that the corner is four blocks from where Assistant District Attorney Sarah Pitts was killed while cycling in 2020 and wrote, "we need real street safety interventions and we need them now." Assembly Member Emily Gallagher called Wertzberger's death "Devastating and deeply tragic."