Bensonhurst residents say speeding vehicles need to be addressed after deadly crash
BENSONHURST, Brooklyn (PIX11) -- The man who allegedly ran a red light through an intersection at high speed, then caused a double-fatal crash in Brooklyn now faces multiple felony charges.
Vitaliy Konoplyov, 49, was set to be arraigned on two counts of manslaughter and two counts of aggravated unlicensed operator Tuesday evening. Meanwhile, witnesses and residents in the neighborhood say that high speed is a problem locally that needs to be addressed.
Police said that Konoplyov was driving south on 18th Avenue at 64th Street at 12:48 p.m. Monday. They said he ran through a red light and rammed right into a black Honda SUV that was passing through the intersection legally. The intensity of the impact propelled the Honda into the nearby crosswalk, where a woman was walking.
That pedestrian, a 60 year-old woman, died, as did the 51-year-old driver of the Honda. As of Tuesday evening, neither has been officially identified, pending notification of next of kin.
Konoplyov, the driver of the Toyota, also hit a traffic signal pole with his car, as well as an additional SUV, according to police. At least seven people were injured, including passengers in Konoplyov's car.
Witnesses said that they'd seen Konoplyov speeding in his Toyota for blocks before the crash.
Menachem Kutten said that he was coming out of a store when Konoplyov's car zoomed past.
"I saw this car speeding and I thought, 'Oh my Gosh.'" said Kutten.
Surveillance cameras posted on the outside of the office of his company, RFK Financial, captured video of Konoplyov speeding past. The car enters the intersection of 60th Street from 18th Avenue, running a red light, and narrowly missing vehicles that are in the intersection legally.
Seconds later, said Kutten, the white Toyota was wreaking havoc, fatally.
"I said, 'This is going to end fatal, this is very serious,'" Kutten said in an interview. "I took out my phone, and called Hatzalah."
He was referring to the local volunteer EMS service. One of its medics happened to be standing right behind Kutten at the time and was able to get to the scene in less than a minute, responding first, Kutten said.
He next called 911. The combination of city-run and volunteer EMTs saved lives, said Kutten.
He also said that high-speed drivers are a problem generally in the neighborhood. He was not alone, by any means, in that assessment.
Solomon Thabet owns a smoke shop that's a few doors down from the point of impact. His store's surveillance camera recorded the crash.
Thabet said that one thing is needed to crack down on the problem of overzealous drivers.
"More patrols," he said. He was among a variety of people in the area who'd said that a greater police presence would reduce the number of speeders, as well as reduce the speed of drivers, generally.
"I see a lot of fancy cars going high speed [regularly]," he said. "You can hear them right now."
Meanwhile, Transportation Alternatives, a nonprofit that advocates for safer traffic and transit policies, said that changing street design could also reduce the occurrence of tragedies like the one that happened.
Elizabeth Adams, the senior director of advocacy and organizing at Transportation Alternatives, said that a type of street design called self-enforcing streets could cut down on some speeding, as well as promote greater safety for pedestrians.
"Self-enforcing streets are a measure that use infrastructure solutions," Adams explained, "such as bollards, planters [and] reducing parking around intersections so that there's better visibility."
"Everyone on the streetscape in that intersection is better able to see who's turning, who's coming," she said.