Woman hit by car in Bath Beach has died

BATH BEACH — A 49-year-old woman who was struck by a turning car while crossing the street in Bath Beach last week has died.

According to authorities, on Tuesday, Oct. 29 at around 6:30 p.m., 49-year-old Gilberta Hernandez was in the crosswalk crossing Bay Parkway at Benson Avenue when she was hit by a Toyota Rav-4 driven by a 74-year-old man that was turning left from westbound Benson Avenue onto southbound Bay Parkway.

When EMS arrived, she was laying on the street with head trauma. Hernandez was rushed to NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn where she was listed in critical condition with head trauma. She died on Thursday, Oct. 31.

The driver remained at the scene and was not arrested. The investigation remains ongoing

“It’s a tragic thing that happened,” said Steven S., an area resident who was nearby. “People need to be more careful driving, especially in these conditions. You have to be aware of your surroundings when driving. You see close encounters often. It’s always bound to happen.”

“It’s awful whenever an accident happens,” added another local, Dante Jayze. “You never want to see something like this. This seems like a safe area. There don’t seem to be that many accidents happening so it’s terrible to hear something like this happened where we live.”

However, Jaze said there had been some close calls.

“I’ve noticed a lot of stop signs they are putting up all over the area but there are still problems with red lights,” he said. “Me and my girlfriend almost got hit by a car a couple of weeks ago because the guy just blasted past a stop sign. People have to pay more attention to traffic safety.”