Driver Charged in Kensington Left-Turn Death of Pedestrian
A licensed driver in an SUV was making a left turn at 18th Avenue and East 2nd Street on Feb. 21, 2022, when police said Shmuel Zupnick failed to yield and hit 65-year-old Adilova Rahima, who died the next day.
What We Know
Adilova Rahima, 65, was crossing 18th Avenue at East 2nd Street in Kensington on Feb. 21, 2022, when police said driver Shmuel Zupnick turned left and hit her. The official crash record lists a left-turning SUV and cites failure to yield right-of-way. Rahima was taken to Maimonides Hospital in critical condition and died the next day. Police later arrested Zupnick and charged him with two counts of failing to yield, failure to exercise due care, and an equipment violation for excessively tinted front windows, according to amNY.
A left turn at 18th Avenue ended with a fatal injury
On the morning of Feb. 21, 2022, Adilova Rahima was crossing 18th Avenue at East 2nd Street. amNY reported, citing police, that a male driver heading south on East 2nd Street turned left and hit her; the official record describes a licensed male driver in a 2021 Infiniti SUV making a left turn and lists failure to yield right-of-way.
Paramedics found Rahima unconscious and unresponsive, and took her to Maimonides Hospital in critical condition with body trauma. Authorities told amNY that she died of her injuries the next day.
The Kensington intersection sits on a deadly 18th Avenue corridor
The crash was recorded at 18th Avenue and East 2nd Street in Kensington, Brooklyn.
CrashCountNYC location context for 18th Avenue in Brooklyn counts 608 crashes, 402 injuries, 23 serious injuries and 7 deaths from Jan. 1, 2022 through June 1, 2026.
Rahima was close to home; the driver stayed at the scene
amNY identified the pedestrian as 65-year-old area resident Adilova Rahima and reported that she was about 10 minutes from her Ocean Parkway home when the driver hit her.
The outlet later identified the driver as local resident Shmuel Zupnick. Police said he stayed at the scene, and amNY reported that officers gave him a breathalyzer test after the crash.
Police and records described an Infiniti SUV
The official record lists a 2021 Infiniti SUV with one occupant, a right-front-bumper point of impact, and no vehicle damage recorded. amNY reported that the Infiniti SUV had no front license plate and a Wisconsin rear plate.
amNY reported that the plate did not return prior parking or camera violations in the How's My Driving NY database.
Failure to yield was the central official finding and charge
The official crash record cites failure to yield right-of-way as the contributing factor. About a month later, police charged Zupnick with two counts of failing to yield and with failure to exercise due care, according to amNY.
Police also charged Zupnick with an equipment violation for excessively tinted front windows, amNY reported.
The case moved from investigation to misdemeanor charges
Immediately after the crash, police had not pressed charges and continued to investigate, amNY reported. On March 23, 2022, police arrested Zupnick, according to the outlet.
A spokesperson for Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez's office told amNY that the misdemeanor charges usually lead to a desk appearance ticket and can carry a maximum sentence of 30 days.