The other day the gf and I were walking through Fort Greene when we came across a brownstone with a makeshift memorial on the stairs. Flowers, a notebook and pen were surrounding a picture of Aileen McKay-Dalton. We noted that she had only died the week before.
I proceeded to look up how she had passed away only to find out she had been hit by an SUV on Dekalb Avenue and Clinton Avenue while riding her “pride and joy” Vespa. Both McKay-Dalton and the driver were taken to the Woodhull Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
The driver has yet to be identified but The Daily News did discover that the SUV was registered to the Department of Treasury and the original case was closed. It is unclear who ran the red light but a witness says the SUV speed up at the intersection “the way cars sometimes do when it’s a yellow light.” Currently, there is a petition online to re-open the case and investigate police conduct. The NYPD stated the would not be investigating or pressing charges as there were no witnesses.
Other sites, including Streetsblog, are reporting that there were at least three known witnesses who came forward. One of which was a slight distance behind the Ford Explorer before the accident. Tara Simoncic, states “In my opinion, the police were not receptive”. She asked the police if they wanted her to stay to give a statement. A police officer at the scene replied, “I have more important things to worry about right now. If you want to go, go. If you want to stay, stay.”
There were two other witnesses, one who had to leave and the other who missed an exam to talk to the police. The man who left wasn’t asked for any contact information so the NYPD could contact him at a later date.
We encourage you to sign this petition to reopen this case. McKay-Dalton was the mother of three children aged 8, 6, and 3.
You can look at photos from her candlelight vigil here.
Our condolences to her family and friends.
