Bedford-Stuyvesant, NY (September 15, 2026) – A 35-year-old Brooklyn man died after being thrown from his dirt bike and struck by a car near Malcolm X Boulevard and Macon Street, according to the collision investigation squad.
The crash happened just after 9 p.m. on September 15, when the man was riding a 2017 Kawasaki dirt bike northbound on Malcolm X Boulevard, in the same direction as a 2016 Mercedes-Benz, investigators said.
The dirt bike operator hit a dip in the road, which threw him from the bike and onto the roadway. He was then struck by the Mercedes, driven by a 28-year-old man, according to the collision investigation squad.
He was taken to Kings County in critical condition, where he later died. He has been identified as Detwan Hannah, of Brooklyn.
The Mercedes driver stayed on scene and was taken into custody. He has been identified as Keon Davis, 28, of Georgia, and is now facing charges of criminal negligent homicide, aggravated unlicensed operator, and unlicensed operator.
Fatal Motorcycle Accidents in Brooklyn, New York
When a motorcyclist or dirt bike rider is struck and killed by a car in traffic, acting quickly matters before skid marks fade, a roadway defect gets repaired, or a vehicle’s data recorder is overwritten.
- Who may be liable: the driver of the striking vehicle, particularly one who was unlicensed or otherwise prohibited from operating a car on New York roads
- What investigators and attorneys examine: the driver’s licensing history and driving record, the vehicle’s event data recorder, witness statements from anyone nearby, and any city maintenance or complaint records tied to the reported dip in the pavement
- What a wrongful death claim can cover: the family’s loss of the victim’s financial support and guidance, funeral and burial costs, and the victim’s own pain and suffering before death
- If that dip turns out to be a known, unrepaired road defect, a separate claim against the city may be available, but it requires a notice of claim within 90 days of the crash under New York General Municipal Law § 50-e, generally by mid-December 2026, far sooner than the deadline below
- What a family can do now: request the police report once it is available, photograph the roadway before repairs are made, and avoid giving a recorded statement to any insurance company without an attorney present
New York’s 2026 comparative negligence reform, CPLR § 1411(b), can reduce or bar a family’s recovery once the rider’s own share of fault equals or exceeds the combined fault of the defendants, so how the road condition and the rider’s actions are weighed against the driver’s conduct will matter to the case. That makes an independent investigation into the pavement defect and the driver’s conduct just as important as the criminal case against him, since the criminal case alone will not compensate the family.
A wrongful death claim in New York generally must be filed within two years of the date of death, which would put the filing deadline for this case around September 2028. Because a criminal case and a civil wrongful death claim run on separate tracks, a family does not have to wait for the criminal proceeding against the driver to conclude before pursuing compensation, and the two cases can move forward on their own timelines.
Contact Our Brooklyn Motorcycle Accident Attorneys
Losing a family member this way, in a matter of seconds and just blocks from home, is the kind of loss no family should have to make sense of on their own, especially while a criminal case against the other driver is still unfolding.
Our Brooklyn motorcycle accident attorneys have represented families of motorcyclists and other roadway victims killed by unlicensed and unsafe drivers, and have recovered more than $900 million for injured New Yorkers over more than 25 years, including a $2,000,000 wrongful death result for a grieving family.
The condition of that stretch of Malcolm X Boulevard, any record of prior complaints about the dip that threw the rider from his bike, and the Mercedes driver’s own history behind the wheel will not stay preserved or easy to obtain for long, so this is the moment to start securing it, well before the case against him works its way through criminal court.
We work on contingency, so there is nothing owed upfront and nothing owed at all unless we recover for your family.
Why Brooklyn families trust Frekhtman & Associates:
- $900M+ recovered for injured New York clients across more than 25 years of practice
- $69,225,000 auto accident jury verdict, one of the largest in New York State history
- Free 24/7 consultations, including home and hospital visits for clients unable to travel
- Personal callbacks from founding attorney Arkady Frekhtman
- Russian-language services available
- Zero fees unless we win your case
- Brooklyn office at 60 Bay 26th St, serving families across the borough
- $2,000,000 wrongful death result
Talk With a Brooklyn Wrongful Death Attorney at (718) 331-7700
When your family is ready, call us, or ask us to come to you, at home, at the funeral home, or wherever is easiest for you right now.
