Virginia Driver Arrested For Killing Elderly Bushwick Pedestrian
March 11, 2019, 10:28 a.m.
An elderly Brooklyn man was killed by a driver in a Bushwick crosswalk this weekend, according to authorities.
The intersection of Bushwick Avenue and Maujer Street
The NYPD has arrested a driver who fatally struck an elderly pedestrian in a Bushwick crosswalk this weekend, according to authorities.
Evaristo Mercado, an 82-year-old Bushwick resident, was struck on Saturday while attempting to cross Maujer Street, police said. According to a preliminary investigation, the driver of a Ford van struck the pedestrian as he was making a left turn from Bushwick Avenue just before 6 p.m. Mercado was transported to Woodhull Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The driver, 57-year-old Mark Smith, was arrested on Sunday and charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care, a misdemeanor and a violation, respectively. Police also found a small amount of marijuana in the Virginia resident's van, and charged him with misdemeanor possession.
Mercado's death comes amid an uptick in pedestrian and cyclist fatalities in the first few months of 2019. Another Brooklyn senior, 85-year-old Stella Clinton, was killed while walking on the sidewalk in Marine Park on Wednesday. There have been no arrests in that case, and an investigation is ongoing, police said.
