Driver dies after a Gowanus Expressway pileup.
Driver Dimitri Kontoleon, 51, died after a crash recorded at 3:52 p.m. on May 15, 2024, on the Gowanus Expressway; Brooklyn Paper reported that police said he experienced an apparent medical episode while driving.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
On May 15, 2024, the city recorded a crash at 3:52 p.m. on the Gowanus Expressway, with one person killed and three injured. Brooklyn Paper placed the crash just before 3:50 p.m., while News 12 said just before 4 p.m.; both described a six-car crash, compared with seven vehicle entries in the city record. Brooklyn Paper reported that Kontoleon lost control of a westbound Volkswagen SUV after an apparent medical episode and hit a Ford van, followed by further collisions. News 12 also reported a driver experienced a medical episode and said the initial fire call was for cardiac arrest; police had not confirmed the episode's nature.
Reports describe a chain reaction.
Brooklyn Paper reported that Kontoleon lost control while driving westbound and hit a Ford van. It said the Ford was then involved in a collision with an Acura; Kontoleon next hit a Mercedes SUV, followed by a collision involving a Mercedes and a Nissan, then a collision between two Nissans.
News 12 gave a shorter account, saying Kontoleon lost control and hit a car, triggering a chain reaction. It reported that fire officials' initial call was for cardiac arrest, but police had not confirmed the nature of Kontoleon's apparent medical episode.
Kontoleon was identified as the driver who died.
Both reports identified Dimitri Kontoleon, 51, of Dyker Heights, as the driver who died; the city record counts one person killed. Brooklyn Paper reported that EMS took him to NYU Langone Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Brooklyn Paper said two other drivers were taken to NYU Langone in stable condition. News 12 reported that four patients, ages 26 to 60, were recovering after being sent to a hospital; the city record separately lists three people injured.
The reports and city record differ on the vehicle count and types.
Both reports described a six-car crash, while the city record has seven vehicle entries. It classifies the Volkswagen, Ford and Toyota entries in a combined station-wagon/SUV category, and lists the Acura, Mercedes-Benz and two Nissans as sedans.
Brooklyn Paper described the Volkswagen as an SUV, the Ford as a van, the Acura as a sedan, the Mercedes as an SUV and two Nissans as SUVs; its account does not mention the Toyota entry. The Ford, Mercedes and Nissan descriptions differ from the city record's classifications.
Reports give different nearby exit markers.
The city record names the Gowanus Expressway (BQE). Brooklyn Paper places the crash near the 39th Street exit in Sunset Park, while News 12 reports it was near Exit 23.