GRAVESEND — Four pedestrians were gravely injured in a bloody crash Saturday afternoon that sent seven individuals to the hospital and left one woman dead.
A Jeep Cherokee driven by a male, 41, that was headed eastbound on Quentin Road smashed into an Acura MDX headed northbound on West 5th Street around 2:25 p.m.
Neighbors said the poor visibility at the intersection makes it a dangerous crossing, and that cars often roll through the stop sign on West 5th Street into the flow of traffic.
"It was a loud bang, a loud bang. It sounded like it was coming from the backyard," said Sal Baglieri, 52, an electronic technician who lives near the intersection.
Police said driver of the MDX, a 60-year-old man, lost control of the vehicle, causing it to smash into a group of four pedestrians standing on the northeast corner of the intersection.
Chenugor Dao, 60, was declared dead at Lutheran Hospital, while a man in his sixties who was with her, as well as a 32-year-old woman and 1-year-old girl were all in stable condition at the hospital.
Meanwhile three passengers in the Acura, the 41-year-old male driver, a 43-year-old woman in the passenger's seat, and a 65-year-old woman sitting in the rear were all in stable condition at Maimonides Medical Center.
A fourth passenger, a 21-year-old man who had been sitting in the rear of the car, was in critical condition but stable, also at Maimonides Medical Center.
Police said no criminality was suspected. The Cherokee's driver refused medical attention.
Baglieri said the crash had been the worst he had seen in 45 years living near the corner.
"Cars do not stop at this crosswalk on a regular basis. Look at him," he said, noting a car rolling by. "Occasionally there has been minor accidents, but nothing like this."
A woman who witnessed the crash and called 911 said she saw the Cherokee speeding on Quentin, which commonly happens when drivers are trying to get to the upcoming traffic signal to catch a green light.
The Cherokee flipped over, she said, when it struck the MDX, which pivoted out towards the pedestrians on the northeast corner, pinning them under another car.
"When I looked up there were bodies on the ground, people bleeding, a lot of head injuries...I saw there was one guy walking around with blood on his head. After a few minutes they put him on a stretcher," said the 33-year-old woman, who did not want her name used.
"This happens every couple of weeks. I don't even feel safe standing here. Six weeks ago a car pinned a pedestrian by the wall there," she said.
