Moped Driver Waki Knight Dies After Sunset Park Crash
Waki Knight, 41, died after police said he lost control of an unregistered moped and slid into a Honda Civic at 3rd Avenue and 51st Street, where city records place a fatal crash at 12:52 p.m.
What We Know
Waki Knight, 41, died after a midday crash involving a moped and a sedan in Sunset Park. City records place the crash at 12:52 p.m. at 3rd Avenue and 51st Street and identify the person killed as the moped driver. Police accounts in local reports said Knight was riding an unregistered moped northbound when he lost control, fell or slid, and hit a Honda Civic driven by a 26-year-old driver. Police said the Honda driver was unlicensed and was arrested on an unlicensed-operation charge. The official record lists traffic control disregarded as a contributing factor for the moped.
Police said Knight lost control before the impact
City records show a fatal crash involving a moped and a sedan at 12:52 p.m. on August 30, 2023. The moped driver was recorded as traveling north and the sedan driver west before the crash.
Local reports, citing police, said Waki Knight was riding an unregistered moped when he lost control, fell or slid, and hit a Honda Civic. News 12 and The Brooklyn Home Reporter placed the crash near 3rd Avenue and 51st Street, while Brooklyn Paper reported the intersection as 52nd Street.
A fatal crash on a heavily traveled 3rd Avenue corridor
City records place the crash at 3rd Avenue and 51st Street in Brooklyn. CrashCountNYC location context for 3rd Avenue in Brooklyn shows 2,163 crashes, 1,457 injuries, 82 serious injuries and 10 deaths since 2022.
Knight was taken to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn
Waki Knight, 41, was pronounced dead at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn after suffering severe head trauma, according to police accounts cited by local outlets. Brooklyn Paper reported that Knight lived in Sunset Park, about a block from the crash scene.
The Brooklyn Home Reporter identified the Honda driver as 26-year-old Justin Vargas. Police said the driver was unlicensed, and local reports said officers arrested or charged him with unlicensed operation or driving without a valid license.
The record lists traffic control disregarded
The official crash record lists traffic control disregarded as a contributing factor for the moped. The reviewed news reports instead describe police saying Knight lost control before he slid or fell into the Honda Civic.
Police continued the investigation
Brooklyn Paper and The Brooklyn Home Reporter reported that the crash remained under investigation after the Honda driver’s arrest on the license-related charge.