Bronx driver dies after her vehicle rolls during parking.
Sheryll Brookes was injured after her vehicle rolled while she parked near East 234th Street and Vireo Avenue in the Bronx; the official record dates the crash to 6:21 a.m. on May 26, 2023, and police cited in a report said she later died from her injuries.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
As Sheryll Brookes parked on a hill in Woodlawn Heights, her vehicle began rolling with the driver's door open, according to police and witnesses cited in a report. Police told the report she was crushed between the vehicle and a building. Separately, witness Michael recalled her jumping out as the vehicle came alongside a brick-faced apartment building; he said an impact between the open door and wall sent her backward. The report said emergency responders took her to Montefiore Medical Center, where she died on June 2.
The report contains two attributed accounts of the sequence.
Police and witnesses cited in the report said Brookes had stepped outside while parking and was trying to get back in when her vehicle began rolling downhill with the driver's door open.
Police said the vehicle continued through an intersection toward the next block and veered toward the sidewalk; they said Brookes was crushed between it and a building.
Witness Michael recalled Brookes jumping out as the vehicle came alongside a brick-faced apartment building. He said an impact between the open door and wall sent her backward, and that she was unconscious when he reached her.
The report said emergency responders took Brookes to Montefiore Medical Center, where she died on June 2.
The hill shaped the account of the vehicle's path.
The official record places the crash at East 234th Street and Vireo Avenue in the Bronx. The report describes a hilly street in Woodlawn Heights; police cited in the report said the vehicle continued through an intersection to the next block.
The sources use different vehicle descriptions.
The report calls the vehicle a Mercedes-Benz SUV. The official record classifies it as a 2009 station wagon/sport utility vehicle, leaving the exact subtype unsettled.
Neighbors recalled Brookes's family ties.
Neighbor Andrea Bolden described Brookes as a mother of three, with two sons and a daughter. Neighbors told the report she had lived with her elderly father in Fordham Heights before recently moving out.
Bolden recalled trying to calm Brookes's father after he came to her door, and said, "It's a tragedy."
The report identified Brookes as 52, while the official crash record lists the killed driver as 51.
The official record identifies a runaway-vehicle factor.
The official record lists “Driverless/Runaway Vehicle” as a contributing factor. Police and witnesses cited in the report said the vehicle began rolling as Brookes tried to get back in.