4 Dead, 1 In Critical Condition After Weekend Of Brooklyn Crashes

BROOKLYN, NY — Four people are dead and one is in critical condition after a series of fatal crashes in Brooklyn the last three days, according to police.

A 24-year-old motorcyclist, a 42-year-old driver, a 56-year-old cyclist and a scooter rider all died on Brooklyn's streets between Friday morning and Sunday afternoon in four separate crashes, according to police.

The crashes are the latest in a record-breaking year for traffic deaths in New York City, which has been particularly alarming in Brooklyn.

In the most recent crash, Joshua Dixon Taylor was riding his motorcycle down Ralph Avenue on Sunday afternoon when he was hit by an Infiniti driving in the same direction, police said. Taylor and the 25-year-old Infiniti driver were both taken to Brookdale Hospital, where Taylor was pronounced dead and the driver is in critical condition, police said.

Earlier that day, a Mercedes driving down Third Avenue in Sunset Park just before 4:30 a.m. collided with a Nissan that was driving on 60th Street, killing the 42-year-old driver inside, according to police. A 19-year-old and 24-year-old from the Mercedes tried to run away from the crash, but were caught by police, cops said.

The 24-year-old was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, police said.

The third fatal crash unfolded on Friday, just after 10 p.m., when someone driving a sedan crashed into Jose Ramos while he trying to cross on the Atlantic Avenue crosswalk on his bike near Essex Street in Cypress Hills, according to police. Ramos, 56, was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

The unknown driver of the sedan, which cops say is white or light-colored, drove away after the crash, police said.

In the fourth crash, a 29-year-old man was riding a motorized scooter down the New York Avenue sidewalk in East Flatbush when he crashed into a gate and fell to the ground, police said. The scooter rider, who was not wearing a helmet, was taken to the hospital with severe head trauma and was pronounced dead, police said.

The four traffic deaths from the weekend add to 63 fatalities recorded in Brooklyn through the end of September. This month, there has also been a motorcyclist killed in Red Hook, a fatal crash on the Belt Parkway, a 95-year-old who was killed walking in East Williamsburg and a 70-year-old who died after having a medical episode while driving, according to police reports.