Cypress Hills, NY (August 18, 2026) – A 29-year-old woman died after a hit-and-run driver struck her while she was on her e-bike on Jamaica Avenue on the morning of August 18, according to the New York Police Department.
Police identified the victim as Paulina Tec Choc, a Queens resident who was at the intersection of Jamaica Avenue and Cypress Hills Street around 5:48 a.m. when the driver of a white pickup truck heading west struck her from behind.
Tec Choc was thrown to the pavement. Police said the driver then ran her over and fled north on Cypress Hills Street without stopping.
She was taken to the hospital, where she died.
There is a traffic signal at the intersection. Police have not released which driver had the right of way at the time of the crash.
No arrests have been made, and the driver has not been identified.
This is a developing story. Details may change as the investigation continues.
Fatal Hit-and-Run in Brooklyn, New York
When a driver flees after striking and killing someone, the family does not have to wait for an arrest to start protecting its rights.
- Who may be liable: the driver, once identified, and potentially the registered owner of the vehicle if different from the driver
- What investigators examine: nearby traffic and business camera footage, paint transfer or debris left at the scene, body shop repair records for a white pickup with front-end damage, and DMV records tied to the truck’s description
- Even when the at-fault driver has not been identified, a claim may be available under the victim’s own uninsured motorist coverage, which many New York drivers carry without realizing it applies to hit-and-run crashes
- Fault has not yet been assigned, and New York’s comparative negligence rule means recovery is still possible even if some fault is later shared
- A wrongful death claim in New York can seek compensation for lost income, funeral and burial costs, and the loss of the victim’s guidance and support to surviving family
Wrongful death claims in New York must generally be filed within two years of the date of death. For this crash, that deadline falls on August 18, 2028. That date can arrive faster than it seems once an investigation, an autopsy, and estate paperwork are underway.
Streets like Jamaica Avenue and Cypress Hills Street, where multiple roadways converge without full bike lane protection, see a documented pattern of crashes. That history does not change who is responsible for fleeing the scene, but it can matter to a broader safety case and to a family that wants answers about how this kept happening at the same intersection.
A Brooklyn wrongful death lawyer can begin gathering camera footage and vehicle records immediately, without waiting for police to make an arrest.
Contact Our Brooklyn Wrongful Death Attorneys
Learning that someone you love was struck, run over, and left in the street by a driver who never stopped is a particular kind of pain, made worse by not knowing who did it.
Our Brooklyn bicycle accident attorneys have recovered $2,000,000 in a prior wrongful death case and know how to pursue a hit-and-run driver even before police make an identification, using the same investigative resources a criminal case relies on.
We handle these cases on contingency. Your family pays nothing upfront and nothing at all unless we recover for you. A first conversation with our office costs nothing and can happen at your home, at a hospital, or over the phone, whichever feels right while you are grieving.
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
