Two Traffic Fatalities—And One Arrest—On Thursday

CROWN HEIGHTS – Early yesterday morning, another pedestrian was hit and killed by a city garbage truck. This time, however, the driver was arrested and charged.

Police got the call around 6:45 am on Thursday, October 11: a person had been struck by a vehicle at Eastern Parkway and Brooklyn Avenue. At the scene, a 37-year old man was laying in the street, with severe trauma to his head, police said. EMS arrived and pronounced the victim dead at the scene.

According to an initial police investigation, an NYC Sanitation truck was driving westbound down Eastern Parkway when the driver attempted to make a right onto Brooklyn Avenue—driving the wrong way up a one-way street. The victim was struck as he was crossing the street on foot.

The driver of the garbage truck stayed on the scene and was later arrested. Aaron Gilchrist, 33, was charged with failing to yield to a pedestrian, driving the wrong way on a one-way street, and failing to exercise due care, police said.

The identity of the deceased has been withheld pending family notification.

SHEEPSHEAD BAY – Later that night, a woman was struck and killed by a truck as she crossed a road in Sheepshead Bay.

The incident occurred around 8:00 pm at the intersection of Nostrand Avenue and Emmons Avenue, said police. The victim, Elina Sokolov, 45, was crossing Nostrand when she was hit by a Dodge Durango driven by a 57-year old man.

As the truck turned from Emmons Avenue onto Nostrand, Sokolov was hit and thrown into the roadway, said police, suffering head and body trauma. Responding EMS rushed Sokolov to Coney Island Hospital, where she was pronounced deceased.

The driver of the Dodge remained on the scene after the accident. Police are investigating the accident, but no arrests have been made as yet.