Budding medical professional killed in NYC crash by driver fleeing traffic stop: police

Metro

By Amanda Wood

A promising medical professional early in her career was killed in Brooklyn over the weekend when a drunken Mercedes driver crashed into her car as she fled from cops, police said.

The tragic accident occurred around 5:30 a.m. Sunday when Juan Lopez, 32 – who was driving a Mercedes – ran a red light while fleeing cops from a traffic stop in Bushwick, said the police.

He then slammed into a Honda Pilot, sending Micah Dukes, 29 — who was in the back seat — flying from the car, cops said.

She was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital and pronounced dead.

After crashing the Honda on Central Avenue near Gates Avenue, Lopez lost control of his vehicle and drove onto the sidewalk, police said. He was arrested on the spot.

Dukes, an Albany native, attended Hudson Valley Community College, where she studied community health navigation and graduated in May 2023 with an associate of applied science degree, according to a school spokeswoman.

During his senior year at Hudson Valley, Dukes completed a four-month internship with the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Albany County, a local educational center focused on the environment, energy, nutrition, health and wellness, among other areas, according to an online profile. .

“Going into this program, I knew I wanted to help people,” she was quoted as saying in the profile. “I wanted to work with marginalized communities, people struggling with mental health issues, low-income people, people of color, and I think this is a great start for my career. I just think it’s really important to help people improve the quality of their lives.

Her internship opened the door to a job with Extension’s Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps people heat and winterize their homes.

She also contributed to the Healthy Neighborhoods program, a state initiative that focuses on visiting the homes of at-risk New Yorkers and analyzing environmental health risks.

“Now more than ever is the time to get into a field like this,” Dukes said. “We really need people helping the community. »

Lopez was hit with a long list of charges, including reckless endangerment, leaving the scene of an incident with serious injury, second-degree traffic assault, unlawful flight from a police officer, obstructing the government administration, reckless driving, driving under the influence of alcohol. and refusal to take a breathalyzer test, police said.

Lopez, who was also hospitalized in stable condition, was also ticketed for disobeying a red light, cops said.

The 34-year-old woman driving the Honda, which had a green light, was not injured — and no 31-year-old woman or 30-year-old man was also in the car, according to police. .

The exact relationship between the passengers was unclear Tuesday.