82-year-old Killed When Crossing The Street In Williamsburg: Cops

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — An 82-year-old man died over the weekend after he was hit by a van crossing the street just a block away from his home, police said.

Evaristo Mercado, who lived nearby on Scholes Street, was walking across a crosswalk on Maujer Street around 5:42 p.m. on Saturday when a Ford van that was turning left off of Bushwick Avenue hit him, police said. Emergency responders brought Mercado, who had trauma to his legs, to Woodhull Hospital, but he later died of his injuries.

The man driving the van, 57-year-old Mark Smith, of Virginia, was charged with failing to yield to a pedestrian, possession of marijuana and failure to use due care, police said.

The accident is the second fatal collision in the neighborhood in just a few weeks.

Earlier this month, 25-year-old Aurelia Lawrence was killed when riding her bicycle a few blocks away on Broadway. She was struck by a grey or silver tanker truck near Rodney Street and pronounced dead at the scene.