Driver Sentenced After Killing Pedestrian on Atlantic Avenue
Erick Trujillo drove drunk, ran a red light at 72 mph and killed 31-year-old Katherine Harris as the official record says she was crossing with the signal at Atlantic Avenue and Clinton Street on April 16, 2023; he was later sentenced to three to nine years.
What We Know
Katherine Harris, 31, was killed shortly before 10 p.m. on April 16, 2023, at Atlantic Avenue and Clinton Street in Brooklyn. The city crash record says she was a pedestrian crossing with the signal at the intersection, and it lists alcohol involvement in a two-sedan crash. Police told Brooklyn Paper that Erick Taxilaga Trujillo sped through a red light in a black Volvo and hit Harris before the driver in the Volvo hit another vehicle. The Daily News later reported that Trujillo pleaded guilty to manslaughter after investigators determined he had a .17 blood alcohol level and was driving 72 mph in a 25 mph zone. He was sentenced to three to nine years in prison.
Harris was crossing with the signal when the driver entered the intersection
The city crash record places the fatal crash at 9:58 p.m. on April 16, 2023, at Atlantic Avenue and Clinton Street in Brooklyn. It records one person killed: a 31-year-old female pedestrian who was crossing with the signal at the intersection.
Police told Brooklyn Paper that Katherine Harris was in the marked intersection when Erick Taxilaga Trujillo, then 27, drove a black Volvo westbound, sped through a solid red light and hit her. The paper reported that Harris had the right of way, and that paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.
Two sedans were recorded in the crash
The official record identifies two westbound sedans, both going straight ahead before the crash: a 2012 Volvo and a 2018 Honda. Police told Brooklyn Paper that after Harris was hit, the driver in the Volvo hit another vehicle before both drivers came to rest.
Alcohol, speed and a red light were central to the case
The city crash record lists alcohol involvement, and the vehicle record associated the Volvo driver with alcohol involvement and disregarding traffic control. The Daily News reported that a blood alcohol test showed Trujillo at .17, nearly twice the legal limit, and that investigators determined he was driving 72 mph in a 25 mph zone.
Harris was remembered as loyal, funny and close to home
The Daily News reported that Harris was a skin care technician and makeup artist who was just steps from home. Her mother, Kim Harris, described her as determined, smart and funny; friends and relatives described the loss in victim impact statements read at sentencing.
Atlantic Avenue has a long crash record
The crash was recorded at Atlantic Avenue and Clinton Street in Brooklyn, a wide corridor near the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway entrance, according to the crash record and Brooklyn Paper's account of local calls for traffic calming.
CrashCountNYC's location context for Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn counts 4,096 crashes, 2,408 injuries, 109 serious injuries and 10 deaths since 2022.