Police Charge Dump Truck Driver in Fatal Brooklyn Hit-and-Run.
Police said dump truck driver Frankie Rodriguez struck Yelena Gervolskaya, 75, as she crossed, and a second driver in a Jeep ran over her; city records place the crash at Shore Parkway and Shell Road at 10:25 a.m. on Aug. 4, 2023.
Approximate reported location.
What We Know
Police said a dump truck driver struck Gervolskaya as she crossed, then a driver in a Jeep ran over her; both drivers fled. Reports differ about which street the truck driver turned onto and what witnesses saw him do after the first impact. Police charged Frankie Rodriguez, 39, in connection with the dump truck.
Accounts differ on what happened after the first impact
The Yahoo report, citing NYPD, said Gervolskaya was crossing shortly before 10:30 a.m. when a dump truck driver struck her; a woman driving a Jeep then ran over her. Police said both drivers fled. The report said Gervolskaya was pronounced dead at the scene.
ABC7 cited witnesses who said the dump truck driver turned left onto Shell Road and then left the scene. News 12 quoted police saying he turned left onto West Sixth Street; it also reported witnesses saying he got out and shouted before police said a Jeep driver struck her shortly afterward.
The records identify a Mack dump truck and a Jeep
The city record identifies a 2017 Mack dump truck and says its driver was making a left turn. It lists “Oversized Vehicle” as a contributing factor. Police described the second vehicle as a black 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by a 40-year-old woman.
Her family remembered a poet and educator
The report described Gervolskaya as an aspiring Russian poet. Her nephew, Alex Gervolskiy, remembered her as a wonderful aunt and educator who did much for family and friends. Her brother, Mikhail Gervolskiy, said, “For me, she was an angel, for me and my son.”
The crash happened at Shore Parkway and Shell Road
City records place the crash at Shore Parkway and Shell Road in Brooklyn at 10:25 a.m. on Aug. 4, 2023. ABC7 described the intersection as also meeting West Sixth Street. News 12 reported 27 injuries at Shell Road and Shore Parkway since 2018, citing NYPD data, and said the Department of Transportation would review the street design after the fatal crash.
Police charged the dump truck driver
The Yahoo report identified Frankie Rodriguez, 39, as the arrested dump truck driver. Citing police, it reported charges of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and serious injury, and failing to show ID or a license.