Driver Charged After Pedestrian Dies in Bushwick Hit-and-Run
A male driver making a right turn in a van failed to yield at DeKalb and Wyckoff avenues, where reports say police charged Lennis Escalona Luna after a fatal Bushwick hit-and-run.
What We Know
A driver making a right turn in a van failed to yield at DeKalb and Wyckoff avenues in Brooklyn on Oct. 18, 2024, according to the official crash record, which says a 59-year-old pedestrian was crossing with the signal at the intersection and was killed. News reports said police arrested Lennis Escalona Luna, 42, after a fatal hit-and-run involving a commercial truck and charged him with failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care. The Daily News identified the victim as Marco Gallardo Tirado, while Brooklyn Paper used the name Marco Tirado Gallardo.
A right turn ended with a pedestrian killed
The official crash record places the collision at DeKalb Avenue and Wyckoff Avenue in Brooklyn at 9:36 a.m. on Oct. 18, 2024. It says a 59-year-old male pedestrian was crossing with the signal at the intersection when a male driver in a van, traveling east and making a right turn, failed to yield. The pedestrian was killed.
News accounts said police arrested Lennis Escalona Luna, 42, after the crash. The Daily News identified the victim as Marco Gallardo Tirado, while Brooklyn Paper reported the name as Marco Tirado Gallardo. Both reports said medics took the pedestrian to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, where he died.
Accounts differ on the pedestrian's exact position
The official record says the pedestrian was at the intersection and crossing with the signal. The Daily News reported he was crossing DeKalb Avenue midblock near Wyckoff Avenue and noted evidence about 10 feet from the crosswalk. Brooklyn Paper reported he was in the crosswalk at Wyckoff Street.
DeKalb Avenue has a heavy recent crash toll
The crash happened at DeKalb Avenue and Wyckoff Avenue in Brooklyn. CrashCountNYC's street-level context for DeKalb Avenue in Brooklyn records 1,052 crashes, 570 injuries, 31 serious injuries and one death since 2022.
Police named the accused driver; reports named the victim differently
Police identified Lennis Escalona Luna as the driver assigned to the truck, according to the Daily News. The Daily News reported the victim's name as Marco Gallardo Tirado, 59. Brooklyn Paper reported the victim as 59-year-old Bushwick resident Marco Tirado Gallardo.
The commercial vehicle was described in multiple ways
The official record lists the involved vehicle as a van and describes the driver as traveling east before making a right turn. The Daily News described a white box truck, and Brooklyn Paper described an 18-foot delivery truck. The Daily News reported that investigators used the truck's U.S. Department of Transportation number to identify the company connected to it.
Failure to yield is central in the record and charges
The official crash record lists failure to yield right-of-way as the contributing factor for the driver. News reports said police charged Luna with failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care.
Investigators brought the driver back to the company office
The Daily News reported that members of the NYPD Collision Investigation Squad traced the truck to a company in Park Slope and identified Luna as the employee assigned to it. The report said Luna's boss asked him to return to the company headquarters, where police took him into custody without incident. Brooklyn Paper reported that Luna left the scene after the crash.
A council member called for safer streets
Brooklyn Paper quoted Council Member Sandy Nurse offering condolences to the victim's loved ones and saying the city must take stronger action to prevent pedestrian fatalities.