Driver Charged After Two Killed in Bensonhurst Red-Light Crash
Police said Vitaliy Konoplyov ran a red light at 18th Avenue and 64th Street, where city crash data recorded two people killed and five injured in the Bensonhurst collision.
What We Know
Police told reporters Vitaliy Konoplyov, 49, was driving south on 18th Avenue on March 20, 2023, when he ran a red light at 64th Street and hit a Honda HRV whose driver had a green light. City records list traffic control disregarded as a contributing factor and record two deaths and five injuries. The people killed were a 51-year-old male driver and a female pedestrian who was crossing with the signal at the intersection; city data lists her age as 65, while press accounts citing police described her as 60. Reporters said Konoplyov remained at the scene, was arrested, and faced manslaughter and unlicensed-driving counts.
Police described a red-light crash that became a chain reaction
Police told reporters Vitaliy Konoplyov, 49, was driving a 2015 Toyota Camry south on 18th Avenue just before 1 p.m. when he ran a red light at 64th Street and hit the driver's side of a 2016 Honda HRV whose driver was heading east with a green light.
The official city crash record lists traffic control disregarded as a contributing factor. It records two people killed and five motorists injured.
Two people died, including a pedestrian crossing with the signal
City records identify the people killed by role: a 51-year-old male driver and a female pedestrian who was crossing with the signal at the intersection.
The pedestrian's age differs across sources. City crash data lists her as 65, while press accounts citing police described her as 60. The New York Post reported on March 21 that the fatal victims had not yet been publicly identified while family notifications were pending.
The involved drivers and vehicles
City records list a southbound 2015 Toyota sedan with three occupants and an eastbound 2016 Honda SUV with two occupants. The record also lists a southbound 2021 Chevy SUV with one occupant and a parked 2021 Chevy SUV.
Konoplyov was arrested after the crash
The official vehicle record lists the Toyota driver's license status as unlicensed.
18th Avenue has seen repeated serious harm
The crash happened at 18th Avenue and 64th Street in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.
CrashCountNYC's location context for 18th Avenue in Brooklyn shows 608 crashes, 402 injuries, 23 serious injuries and 7 deaths since 2022.