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Man dead, woman critically injured after car plunges into Brooklyn rail yard
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Dec 30, 2022
Modified Dec 31, 2022
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Catalina Gonella/Gothamist
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Dec 30, 2022
Modified Dec 31, 2022
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One person is dead and another is in critical condition after their car fell approximately 30 feet into a rail yard in Brooklyn on Friday, officials said.
Police believe the car’s driver, a 70-year-old man, suffered a medical episode while driving on an overpass on Vanderbilt Avenue and Atlantic Avenue in Prospect Heights, causing him to lose control of the vehicle at 12:44 p.m. That’s when his car collided with a concrete jersey barrier separating the road from the LIRR’s Atlantic Yard below, sending both the barrier and the car plunging into the lower level.
Both victims were rushed to New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, where the driver was pronounced dead. The car's passenger, a woman, was reported to remain in critical condition as of Saturday morning.
The rail yard was to be covered with a platform as part of the massive, ongoing Pacific Park development project taking place in the neighborhood, but the project’s completion has been plagued by delays. Some people in the area said that if the rail yard were covered, the accident could have been avoided.
“I hope the city could take this very serious and just make it hard for cars to go through,” said Kemberly Damus, who was in the area when she heard the crash. “Find a way to close this. If that had happened, I'm telling you that person would be alive right now.”
This is an ongoing story, check back for updates.
Tagged
car crash
lirr
prospect heights
brooklyn
Catalina Gonella
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