Dump truck driver surrendered after fatal Brooklyn crash
A dump truck driver hit Agustina Muniz while turning from Richardson Street onto Kingsland Avenue on Aug. 21, 2023; the official record logs the crash at 6:41 a.m., and the Daily News later reported the suspected driver, Luis Gutierrez, surrendered.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
On Aug. 21, 2023, a dump truck driver turning left from Richardson Street onto Kingsland Avenue hit Agustina Muniz as she crossed. Police said the driver left the scene. Reports said medics took Muniz to Woodhull Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The Daily News later identified the suspected driver as Luis Gutierrez, 28, and reported he surrendered, had been indicted and was awaiting arraignment on a manslaughter charge. A lawyer for Muniz's family said dashcam footage showed the driver go through a red light. Muniz lived at Cooper Park Houses and served meals at its community center for 30 years, North Brooklyn News reported.
A left turn at the intersection
Police told Gothamist that a dump truck driver turning left from Richardson Street onto Kingsland Avenue hit a woman crossing Kingsland Avenue and left the scene. Reports said medics took her to Woodhull Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The official record logs one pedestrian killed at the intersection at 6:41 a.m. on Aug. 21, 2023. Gothamist, 1010 WINS and the Daily News reported the crash happened at about 6:45 a.m.; Patch reported about 6:50 a.m., and News 12 reported around 7 a.m.
A neighbor remembered for serving others
The Daily News later identified the woman as Agustina Muniz, 86. Gothamist and North Brooklyn News reported that early police descriptions put her age in her 60s or 70s.
North Brooklyn News reported Muniz lived at Cooper Park Houses and served meals at its community center for 30 years. The article also reported that a memorial was placed at the center's entrance. "We will truly miss her," said Debra Benders, president of Cooper Park Resident Council.
The vehicle recorded in the crash
The official vehicle record describes a 2019 Volvo dump truck and records a left-turn movement. Gothamist, 1010 WINS and Patch also described the vehicle as a dump truck.
Different accounts of the signal
The official vehicle record lists traffic control disregard and driver inattention or distraction as contributing factors. Brett Nomberg, a lawyer for Muniz's family, told the Daily News that dashcam footage showed the driver stopped at a red light and then went through it. 1010 WINS reported that police said it was unclear whether the driver realized Muniz had been struck.
A surrender and a manslaughter charge
The Daily News reported on Sept. 26 that Luis Gutierrez, 28, surrendered to police. The newspaper said he had been indicted by a grand jury and was awaiting arraignment on a manslaughter charge.
Nomberg told the Daily News that Muniz's family was suing Gutierrez and J Brothers Trucking, which the article identified as his employer.
Where
KINGSLAND AVENUE and RICHARDSON STREET