A Legal Perspective of the Accident

On October 1, 2019, a hit-and-run driver killed Olig Korablev, who was crossing a street in Queens as he was leaving to catch a bus for work. He lived in a Holiday Inn that had been converted into a homeless shelter, but was known as a hard-working man, who put in 12 hours of work daily doing construction. He would travel 3 hours every day to work in Brooklyn, leaving early in the morning and returning around 10:00 or 11:00 p.m.

According to the New York Daily News article, he was 65 years old and had left for work an hour earlier than usual. He was crossing the road near Brookville and Rockaway Boulevards around 4:00 a.m.

A silver-colored Toyota Camry slammed into him and officials said the impact was so forceful that it threw him from the southbound lane into the northbound lane. The driver did not stop and sped away from the scene of the accident. Other residents also living with him at the shelter heard the loud zoom of the car speeding away.

Residents ran outside and found Korablev dead at the accident scene.

Police Apprehended the Driver Six Hours Later

A surveillance video recorded the accident, which the police used to identify the car and driver. Around 10:00 a.m., police officials arrived at the home of Kevin Dennard, age 35, a resident of Inwood, Long Island. He was outside looking at the damage to his car. They charged him with leaving the scene of an accident. Dennard claimed he had hit a piece of luggage and didn't stop to report the accident. Furthermore, he had drunk a few beers at a bar near the scene of the accident. His record showed two previous DUI arrests, the most recent arrest in 2006.

The court arraigned and held him on a $75,000 bail bond.

A Legal Perspective of the Pedestrian Hit-and-Run Accident

Legal factors about the accident include:

• The surveillance video showed that the pedestrian was not crossing the street in a crosswalk.
• The video showed the driver leaving the accident scene and not reporting the accident, which is a crime in New York.
• Whether or not the driver was driving under the influence (BAC .8 or higher) is likely undetermined since he was arrested 6 hours later, probably too late for a valid Breathalyzer test.
• The bar that served him alcohol could be liable if the bar tender served Dennard and he was visibly intoxicated, based on New York Dram Shop law.

Any victim who is seriously injured in a hit-and-run accident should seek legal help. If the victim dies as a result of the accident, the surviving family may have grounds to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit.