Mordica Keller, 8, was fatally injured in a pedestrian accident in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. According to a report in the New York Daily News, officials said the incident occurred the afternoon of June 28 at the intersection of Eastern parkway and Albany Avenue when a 69-year-old man driving an SUV south struck the child. Emergency medical personnel took the boy to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased. The driver remained at the scene. No arrests have been made pending the official investigation.
A witness who remained at the scene of the crash said he had been in an Uber at the time when his driver suddenly began screaming. When the passenger looked up, he said he saw the victim being dragged from under the car by a woman. The passenger said he got out of the Uber and called 911 as other bystanders rushed to help the severely injured boy.
The man said an older sister was with the victim and that she was in shock as was the driver of the SUV who jumped out of the car right away. The incident is under investigation. We offer our deepest condolences to Mordica Keller’s family for their heartbreaking loss. They will be in our thoughts and prayers.
Child Pedestrian Deaths in NYC
In 2024, New York City suffered a tragic rise in child pedestrian deaths, with 16 children (aged 17 and under) killed in traffic collisions — an alarming 33% increase from 12 in 2023, matching the highest toll since Vision Zero began. Overall, pedestrian fatalities across the city climbed 21% from the previous year.
The data reflects a broader trend: 253 New Yorkers were killed in traffic crashes last year — roughly one death every 35 hours — including 121 pedestrians. Children are disproportionately impacted: roughly 80% of under–18 (years of age) fatalities occurred while walking and large vehicles such as SUVs and trucks bore a heightened responsibility in these tragedies.
Despite initiatives such as Vision Zero, which drastically reduced child traffic deaths early on (from 18 in 2014 to 9 in 2016), progress has stalled. Between 2019 and 2022, rising vehicle ownership and heavier vehicles have reversed hard-won gains and child pedestrian deaths rose to record highs in both 2022 and 2024.
Advocates emphasize the urgent need for bold safety measures: installation of speed cameras, lowering speed limits to 20 mph under Sammy’s Law, expanded protected bike lanes, safer street designs and pedestrian-first corridors, especially around schools and high-risk districts.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, bicycle accident or pedestrian accident, or if you have lost a loved one in an auto accident caused by a negligent (careless) driver, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you.
Pedestrian accident victims and their families should remember that they can seek compensation for injuries or losses in collisions even if the victim was not walking in a marked crosswalk and even if the driver involved in collision was not charged. Our law firm recovered the full one-million-dollar insurance policy for a girl who was not in the crosswalk when a motor vehicle hit her.
For over 53 years, our skilled accident attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims get fair compensation for their losses. Our law firm recently recovered $5,600,000 for a bicyclist who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car, and $2,000,000 in a hit-and-run accident, and the full $1,000,000 insurance policy for a pedestrian who was hit by a truck, and $4,625,000 for a driver who was in a car and was hit by a van, and $2,500,000 for a man who fell through an improperly secured hole.
We also obtained $295,000 out of a $300,000 insurance policy in compensation for the victim of a bicycle dooring accident (where a car door opens into the path of a bicyclist). Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury, lead poisoning and medical malpractice cases including, brachial plexus palsy (Erb’s palsy) and cerebral palsy cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/06/28/boy-fatally-struck-honda-suv-driver-crown-heights-brooklyn/