Driver dies after plunge into Brooklyn rail yard.
Driver Francois Cadely, 70, died in a crash recorded at 12:44 p.m. on December 30, 2022, at Vanderbilt Avenue and Pacific Street in Brooklyn; CBS reported that a witness saw the driver take the Audi through a fence into a Long Island Rail Road yard.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Driver Francois Cadely, 70, died after witnesses described the Audi carrying him and a passenger going through a fence into a Long Island Rail Road yard in Brooklyn; reports said the passenger, a 60-year-old woman, was critically injured. Accounts differed on the approach, and a possible medical episode remained unconfirmed in the reporting.
The crash was reported beside the rail yard.
The official record places the crash at Vanderbilt Avenue and Pacific Street in Brooklyn. CBS and 1010 WINS located the incident on Vanderbilt Avenue near Atlantic Avenue, where reports said the driver went through a fence into the Atlantic Terminal rail yard. CBS reported that first responders rescued both occupants from the area.
Reports give different accounts of the approach.
The crash record lists the Audi traveling west and going straight ahead. A witness told Streetsblog that the driver turned north from Pacific Street and veered into a concrete barrier and fence. Streetsblog separately attributed to police an account that the driver left a McDonald's drive-through, crossed Vanderbilt Avenue and was making a U-turn. CBS witness D. Elliott said he heard acceleration from the McDonald's ramp and moved aside as the driver took the Audi through the fence. These accounts do not establish one agreed sequence.
Sources describe the Audi's type differently.
The official record identifies a 2021 Audi and classifies its type as Station Wagon/Sport Utility Vehicle. Streetsblog calls it an SUV, while CBS, Fox 5 and 1010 WINS describe it as a car. The official record lists two occupants.
Reports identify the occupants but differ on where Cadely died.
CBS identified the driver as Francois Cadely, 70, and his passenger as a 60-year-old woman who remained in critical condition. Streetsblog said Cadely was from Brooklyn and described the woman as the front-seat passenger. The official record also lists a 70-year-old male driver killed and one motorist injured.
Reports differed on where Cadely was pronounced dead. CBS said both occupants were taken to Methodist Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. 1010 WINS said responders pronounced him dead at the scene and took the passenger to the hospital.
The cause remained uncertain in reporting.
The official record lists driver inattention or distraction as a contributing factor. CBS reported that police suspected a medical emergency and were awaiting autopsy results; Fox 5 said police believed the driver may have suffered one. 1010 WINS reported more definitively that the driver suffered a medical episode and lost control, while Streetsblog said a later police narrative gave no cause and the investigation was ongoing. The reports do not establish a medical cause.
Rail service continued after the rescue.
CBS reported that crews removed the Audi from the tracks hours later and that Long Island Rail Road service was not disrupted.