Driver indicted after fatal Williamsburg crosswalk hit-and-run
The city recorded one pedestrian killed after a driver in an SUV failed to yield while turning at Taylor Street and Kent Avenue; prosecutors later identified Daniel K. Buckley as the driver who hit Leah Kohn and left the scene.
What We Know
A driver in a northbound 2005 GMC SUV was making a left turn at Taylor Street and Kent Avenue in Williamsburg at 5:46 p.m. on Nov. 28, 2022, when a 59-year-old woman crossing in a marked crosswalk was fatally injured. The city record lists failure to yield as a contributing factor. Prosecutors identified the driver as Daniel K. Buckley and the pedestrian as Leah Kohn, saying Buckley had driven out of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, crossed into oncoming traffic on Kent Avenue, made an illegal turn onto Taylor Street, hit Kohn in the crosswalk and left without stopping. Kohn was taken to Bellevue Hospital Center and died Dec. 17 from complications of blunt force head trauma. Buckley was indicted on manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, leaving-the-scene and traffic-related charges.
A turn at Taylor Street became a fatal crosswalk crash
The city crash record places the collision at 5:46 p.m. on Nov. 28, 2022, at Taylor Street and Kent Avenue in Brooklyn. It records a driver in a northbound station wagon/SUV making a left turn and lists failure to yield as a contributing factor.
Prosecutors later said Daniel K. Buckley drove out of the Brooklyn Navy Yard onto Kent Avenue, crossed into oncoming traffic, made an illegal turn onto Taylor Street to avoid two oncoming drivers, hit Leah Kohn in the crosswalk, and left without stopping.
Leah Kohn died after weeks in the hospital
The official record describes the person killed as a 59-year-old female pedestrian who was crossing in a marked crosswalk at the intersection. Prosecutors identified her as Leah Kohn.
Brooklyn prosecutors said Kohn was taken to Bellevue Hospital Center and died on Dec. 17 from complications of blunt force trauma to the head. The Brooklyn Paper reported that prosecutors described her as a grandmother and a cherished member of the community.
Prosecutors identified the driver and the SUV
The official vehicle record lists a 2005 GMC SUV with one occupant, a licensed male driver, making a left turn. It records damage and impact at the right front bumper.
Prosecutors identified the driver as 67-year-old Daniel K. Buckley of Queens and said he was driving a 2005 GMC Envoy after leaving work at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Investigators focused on yielding and illegal movement
The city record lists failure to yield right-of-way for the crash, and the vehicle record also cites improper passing or lane use.
Prosecutors said surveillance video showed Buckley driving into oncoming traffic on Kent Avenue and making an illegal turn onto Taylor Street before he hit Kohn in the crosswalk.
A Brooklyn indictment followed the fatal hit-and-run
Brooklyn Paper reported that Buckley was arraigned in Brooklyn Supreme Court, ordered released without bail, and faced up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the top count.
Kent Avenue has seen repeated harm since 2022
The crash happened at Taylor Street and Kent Avenue in Williamsburg. CrashCountNYC’s Kent Avenue context recorded 643 crashes, 363 injuries, 21 serious injuries and 2 deaths along Kent Avenue since 2022.
That corridor-level toll helps explain why a single fatal turn at Taylor Street is part of a broader safety pattern on Kent Avenue.