School Bus Driver Charged After Brooklyn Teen's Death
School bus driver Aleksandr Patlakh fatally hit 15-year-old Antonina Zatulovska at Avenue P and Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn at about 7:55 a.m. on January 17, 2022, and police charged him with failure to yield and failure to use due care.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
At about 7:55 a.m. on January 17, 2022, school bus driver Aleksandr Patlakh turned from Avenue P onto Bedford Avenue and fatally hit Antonina Zatulovska, 15. The city crash record says she was crossing with the signal and identifies failure to yield as a contributing factor. The Daily News reported that surveillance video showed the driver briefly stop and then leave. Police charged Patlakh with failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to use due care, but not with leaving the scene. Prosecutors said the investigation was ongoing.
A right turn at the crossing
The Daily News reported that surveillance video showed the school bus driver turning from Avenue P onto Bedford Avenue and fatally hitting Antonina as she crossed. The city crash record describes a right turn and lists the bus's right front bumper as the point of impact.
The city record says Antonina was crossing with the signal. It identifies the bus driver's failure to yield as a contributing factor.
Avenue P and Bedford Avenue
The crash happened at the intersection of Avenue P and Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, beside James Madison High School. Reports differed about Antonina's destination: the Daily News said she was on her way to school, while the Post said her destination was unclear and noted that city public schools were closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Antonina Zatulovska
Antonina was 15 and lived in Coney Island, according to the Daily News. First responders pronounced her dead at the scene.
The driver's departure and the charges
The Daily News said video showed Patlakh briefly stop before leaving. Fox 5 reported that the driver did not stop but returned later. Police charged Patlakh with failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to use due care. He was not charged with leaving the scene; a Brooklyn district attorney's spokesman said the investigation remained ongoing.