A speeding driver collided with two men who were walking with shopping carts near a Brooklyn food pantry early morning on July 11. According to a report in the New York Post, which obtained video of the horrific crash, the victims, identified by police as Kex Un Chen, 80, and Faqiu Lin, 59, were crossing Third Avenue at 52nd Street in Sunset Park in a marked crosswalk. A vehicle that blew through the intersection against a red light, struck both pedestrians, officials said.
Fatal Hit-and-Run Investigation
One of the men was hurled across the intersection and struck a lamp post before falling to the ground while the other was left in the intersection. The sedan kept going leaving both victims on the pavement. Based on the report, both were found deceased at the scene. The driver, identified by police as 23-year-old Juventino Anastacio Florentino, was later arrested at his home in Staten Island’s West Brighton neighborhood, police said.
Florentino is facing a number of criminal charges including two counts each of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, reckless endangerment, as well as one count each of reckless driving, failure to yield at a red light, police said. The investigation is still ongoing. Our deepest condolences go out to the loved ones of the victims of this pedestrian accident.
Potential Violation of Laws
New York Vehicle and Traffic Law § 600(2) prohibits drivers from leaving the scene of an injury or fatal crash. In addition to facing criminal charges, such as a misdemeanor or felony hit-and-run, the driver may be exposed to enhanced civil liability in a personal injury lawsuit brought by the injured parties in such cases. In addition, New York law also requires drivers to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks.
Fleeing the scene may be viewed as evidence of negligence (carelessness), recklessness, or even “conscious disregard for safety,”. In some instances, courts may allow for punitive damages — monetary awards meant to punish egregious conduct — on top of compensatory damages for medical expenses, lost income and benefits, past and future pain and suffering, etc.
Compensation for Hit-and-Run Victims
In a hit-and-run collision, the driver and vehicle owner are both responsible parties even if the owner was not driving when the accident occurred. If the driver was on the job and/or operating a company vehicle at the time, his or her employer can also be held liable. When the driver is apprehended in a hit-and-run case, he or she can be held financially liable for the injuries, damages and losses caused.
Such drivers can be held financially responsible whether or not they are arrested and/or charged. If a hit-and-run driver has injured you, please remember that you can seek compensation through the uninsured motorist clause of your auto insurance policy (even though the driver has not been identified) or through a quasi-state agency if there is no motor vehicle in the victim’s household. You should consult a personal injury lawyer immediately to protect your rights.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in a 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.
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 recovered $1,500,000 for a lady who was hurt by a bus.
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://nypost.com/2025/07/11/us-news/hit-and-run-driver-kills-two-pedestrians-on-nyc-street-before-zooming-off-cops/