Driver in Jeep SUV Kills Deshui Wang in Bay Ridge
A 53-year-old driver in a Jeep Liberty SUV hit and killed Deshui Wang, 70, near Fourth Avenue and 65th Street in Bay Ridge on June 1, 2022, and police issued only traffic summonses, Streetsblog reported.
What We Know
Deshui Wang, 70, was killed near Fourth Avenue and 65th Street in Bay Ridge on the evening of June 1, 2022. The official crash record lists one pedestrian fatality, an SUV, unsafe speed, and driver inattention or distraction. Streetsblog, citing police, reported that a 53-year-old driver in a Jeep Liberty SUV hit Wang near the crosswalk, that Wang died at the scene, and that police issued summonses for failure to obey a traffic control device and failure to yield to a pedestrian. Streetsblog also reported tension in the official account: police described a traffic-control violation, while the article said there was no traffic control device at that intersection.
Wang was killed near the crosswalk
The crash happened at about 7:11 p.m. on June 1, 2022, near Fourth Avenue and 65th Street in Bay Ridge. The official record lists Deshui Wang, 70, as a pedestrian who was killed at the intersection.
Streetsblog reported, citing police, that Wang was crossing 65th Street near Fourth Avenue when a 53-year-old driver in a Jeep Liberty SUV hit him in the vicinity of the crosswalk. Police said Wang was thrown to the pavement and died at the scene.
Police identified the driver and SUV type, but not the driver by name
The official record lists a 2008 Jeep SUV traveling west with one licensed male driver. Streetsblog reported that police described the driver as a 53-year-old operator of a Jeep Liberty SUV and did not release his name.
The official vehicle record lists the driver as going straight ahead before the crash and records the point of impact and damage at the left front bumper.
Records and reporting point to several disputed factors
The official crash record lists unsafe speed as a contributing factor for the crash, and the vehicle record lists driver inattention or distraction. The official pedestrian record also says Wang was crossing against the signal and lists pedestrian error or confusion.
Streetsblog reported that police issued the driver summonses for failure to obey a traffic control device and failure to yield to a pedestrian. The article questioned that account, reporting that there was no traffic control device at the intersection where Wang was hit.
The Bay Ridge block had drawn road-safety concern
The crash happened on the same block as the 68th Precinct stationhouse, Streetsblog reported. The article said 65th Street begins at Fourth Avenue as a westbound roadway and that angled parking narrows the street there.
Streetsblog reported that the block had 155 reported crashes since January 2018, injuring nine cyclists, one pedestrian and 46 motorists. The article contrasted that with seven reported crashes on a comparable nearby westbound block, 67th Street, over the same period.