Two people died and five others were seriously injured after a car ran a red light, collided with another vehicle, and jumped up onto the curb in Brooklyn in a T-bone crash in Brooklyn on Monday. A chilling surveillance video footage of the crash has emerged that shows a white car driving erratically before running a red light and then crashing into an SUV.
The crash took place just before 1 p.m., when a 49-year-old man lost control of his car on 18th Avenue in Bensonhurst and reportedly ran a red light before colliding with another vehicle at the junction of 64th Street, according to police.
Fatal Crash
Surveillance video of the horrific collision shows a white car traveling erratically and at high speed. The white car then seems to run a red light and T-bone a dark SUV in the intersection. The SUV slides out into the street as the white car careens up onto the sidewalk, with both vehicles severely damaged.
While emergency personnel raced to put the victims into ambulances, car parts were left all over the sidewalk and pavement, according to video footage from the aftermath.
Also, bystanders can be seen in the video running for safety.
Police added that despite being rushed to Maimonides Hospital, two people could not be saved.
According to a source with the NYPD, the white car's driver was detained and questioned, according to DailyMail.com. On Monday night, the motorist was still not in custody or facing any charges.
The victims killed were the driver of the black SUV and a pedestrian struck in the collision, officials said.
Investigation Launched
The age and gender of the two men who died in the collision were not immediately known. According to authorities, four people were hospitalized but stable while one person was in critical condition at the hospital.
The driver of the erratic vehicle stayed at the scene and was detained on unspecified grounds.
Photos of the aftermath of the crash show the white Toyota Camry with significant front-end damage. Personal belongings, such as clothing and a soccer ball, are scattered across the pavement while the wrecked Camry lies on the sidewalk.
According to photos taken at the scene, the crash also caused severe damage to the black SUV.
Bystanders gathered behind yellow police tape following the collision and watched somberly as the victims were taken away by ambulance. "This was a completely avoidable tragedy,' said New York City Councilmember Justin Brannan in a Facebook post, vowing that an arrest in the fatal crash was 'pending'."
"Anyone who knows this area well knows how crowded it can be with people in the middle of the day," said Brannan, whose district includes Bensonhurst and nearby Bay Ridge.
"A driver speeding and blowing red lights in a congested area without regard for anyone or anything must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law," he said. "Praying for all involved."
Just a few weeks prior to the event on Monday, a U-Haul truck driver was charged with murder in connection with a different deadly driving rampage in a nearby Brooklyn neighborhood.
