Sunset Park, NY (August 29, 2026) – A 28-year-old nurse was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in Brooklyn shortly before 7:40 a.m., police said. Officers identified her as Jiayi Zheng, a nurse at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn.
Police said Zheng was crossing at the intersection of 55th Street and Third Avenue when a black Cadillac traveling southbound on Third Avenue hit her. She suffered severe body trauma. She was taken to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, about a block from the crash site, where she was pronounced dead.
Zheng had just finished an overnight shift and was heading home, colleagues said. She worked as a float nurse, filling in across units when the hospital was short-staffed.
The driver fled the scene and remained at large the following day, police said. No arrests have been announced. Police said they hope surveillance video will help identify the driver.
State Sen. Andrew Gounardes said the car that hit Zheng was speeding and ran a red light. He called on the city Department of Transportation to work with the community on making Third Avenue safer. He said two elderly neighbors were killed in a similar crash on the corridor just over a year ago.
This is a developing story. Details may change as the investigation continues.
Fatal Hit-and-Run Crashes in Brooklyn, New York
A hit-and-run leaves a family carrying two burdens at once. There is the loss itself, and there is a driver nobody has identified yet. New York law gives families options while that search continues.
- Uninsured motorist coverage: even when the at-fault driver is never found, a claim may be available under a household auto policy’s uninsured motorist coverage
- MVAIC: a pedestrian with no household auto policy may be able to seek benefits through New York’s Motor Vehicle Accident Indemnification Corporation
- Evidence that identifies a vehicle: intersection and storefront surveillance footage, license plate reader data, and body shop repair records
- Who else may share responsibility: the vehicle’s registered owner, and in some cases the agency responsible for the roadway
New York changed its comparative fault rule for motor vehicle claims in 2026. Under CPLR § 1411(b), a claimant whose fault exceeds the defendants’ combined fault is barred from recovering in a motor vehicle personal injury action. That rule reaches actions commenced on or after May 26, 2026. How it applies to a wrongful death claim is a question an attorney has to assess on the facts.
A wrongful death claim in New York must generally be filed within two years of the date of death, which sets the deadline here at August 29, 2028. Ordinary personal injury claims carry a three-year deadline (CPLR § 214).
If a city agency’s handling of the roadway ever becomes part of a claim, the timeline is far shorter. New York requires a notice of claim within 90 days (Gen. Mun. Law § 50-e), which would fall on November 27, 2026.
Contact Our Brooklyn Pedestrian Accident Attorneys
Losing someone on the walk home from a shift she had just finished is a loss that makes no sense on any day. Nothing about the weeks that follow is fair to the people left behind.
Our Brooklyn pedestrian accident lawyers have handled intersection crashes across the borough and have recovered more than $900 million for injured New Yorkers. A wrongful death attorney in Brooklyn can take on the work of identifying the vehicle while a family grieves.
Surveillance video from the businesses along Third Avenue is often recorded over within days, so securing it now matters more than almost anything else a family can do.
There is nothing to pay to talk with us, and nothing owed 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
