Two drivers fled after hitting and killing Yvonne Sandiford
A driver failed to yield in a fatal pedestrian crash at New York Avenue and Herkimer Street on Nov. 2, 2023, and police told reporters that two drivers hit 79-year-old Yvonne Sandiford and fled.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Yvonne Sandiford, 79, was crossing New York Avenue at Herkimer Street in Brooklyn around 6:35 p.m. on Nov. 2, 2023, when police said two drivers hit her and fled. The official crash record places the fatal pedestrian crash at that intersection and lists failure to yield by a driver. Gothamist and NY1 reported police described a gray Nissan Rogue driver hitting Sandiford first and a white Toyota Sienna or minivan driver hitting her moments later. Both outlets reported that the drivers left the scene. Gothamist reported that Sandiford was pronounced dead there. Her son Patrick Sandiford told NY1 the family was devastated.
Police described a double hit-and-run
The official record says a 79-year-old woman was killed while crossing with the signal at New York Avenue and Herkimer Street in Brooklyn at 6:35 p.m. The crash record lists one driver making a left turn in a 2019 Nissan SUV and another driver going straight in a 2014 Toyota SUV, with failure to yield recorded as a contributing factor.
Gothamist and NY1 identified the woman as Yvonne Sandiford. They reported that police said a driver in a gray Nissan Rogue hit her first, and a second driver in a white Toyota Sienna or minivan hit her moments later while she was in the roadway. Both drivers fled, according to those reports.
The intersection drew renewed scrutiny
The official record places the crash at New York Avenue and Herkimer Street in Brooklyn. Gothamist reported that Sandiford was hit in Bedford-Stuyvesant, just blocks from her home, and that the crash prompted local elected officials and street-safety advocates to call for more action.
Transportation Alternatives executive director Danny Harris said the intersection where Sandiford was killed was “a known-dangerous area for senior pedestrians” and had received no safety upgrades, according to Gothamist.
Her family described a sudden loss
NY1 reported that Yvonne Sandiford immigrated to New York from Barbados in 1991 and had 10 children, 23 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Her son Patrick Sandiford said, “We are all devastated. Everyone is devastated.”
Patrick Sandiford told NY1 that his mother was caring and loving. “She was a sweetheart. A sweet, sweetheart,” he said.
Police were still looking for the drivers
Gothamist reported on Nov. 3 that no arrests had been made and that the NYPD Highway District Collision Investigation Squad was investigating. NY1 reported that police were still searching for both drivers and asked anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers.
Gothamist also reported that a Department of Transportation spokesperson said the agency would review the crash location, as it does after every traffic fatality.
Reports differed on some details
The official crash record lists a 2019 Nissan SUV and a 2014 Toyota SUV. Gothamist and NY1 reported police accounts describing the first driver in a gray Nissan Rogue and the second in a white Toyota Sienna or minivan. ABC7 reported a different police account involving one driver in a white minivan and said Sandiford was dragged about 20 feet.
The Daily News initially reported the crossing location as Fulton Street at New York Avenue, while the official record and Gothamist placed the crash at New York Avenue and Herkimer Street.