Despite the lack of charges, the case remained open, as the District Attorney’s office began its own investigation. Given that the case was open, the full details of the crash were not available to the public, a situation particularly frustrating to this community as it grieved the loss.
On January 9th, the DA’s investigation also closed without charges. According to Brooklyn Paper, Brooklyn DA, Eric Gonzalez, determined that he could bring no charges because prosecutors failed to find “necessary evidence” against the driver. Continue reading →
The accident took place on Metropolitan Avenue, near Graham Avenue
In a situation painfully familiar in North Brooklyn, a cyclist lost his life on Tuesday as he was traveling along Metropolitan Avenue. The 30 year-old victim was killed around 12:30pm, when his bike toppled, and he was crushed by a tractor-trailer traveling the same direction of the avenue. Critically injured at the scene, the man was pronounced dead at Woodhull hospital. Neither the victim nor the driver have been identified by the police, and no arrests have been made in the ongoing investigation.
Tuesday’s accident recalls the circumstances surrounding the death of Neftaly Ramirez, a beloved employee at Paulie Gee’s (60 Greenpoint Avenue), who was the victim of a hit-and-run on Franklin and Noble streets in July. At this month’s community council meeting on December 6th, Greenpoint residents asked that police officers remember Ramirez, and show a commitment to street and pedestrian safety.
According to Vision Zero, the City’s municipal traffic safety campaign, “approximately 4,000 New Yorkers are seriously injured and more than 250 are killed each year in traffic crashes. Being struck by a vehicle is the leading cause of injury-related death for children under 14, and the second leading cause for seniors. On average, vehicles seriously injure or kill a New Yorker every two hours.” The Vision Zero Action Plan sees these terrible events not as accidents, but as “preventable incidents that can be systematically addressed.” Here in Greenpoint, new police captain William Glynn has explained that “Engineering, Education, and Enforcement” are the 3 Es of the Vision Zero project. Continue reading →
