Neighborhood Mourns Death Of Bay Ridge Dentist

On Thursday night, a dentist was killed in a hit-and-run while crossing 4th Avenue near 79th Street in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn. Harry Lewner, 58, lived in Cedarhurst, Long Island an had a practice in Brooklyn since 1978. Office manager JoAnna Leask told the Daily News, "We walked out of the office together, and right after I said goodbye and turned the corner, I heard this loud boom. I ran over ... and saw him just lying in the street." Karissa McFaline, 21, who allegedly struck Lewner with her Kia and fled northbound, turned herself into police for leaving the scene of an accident. A second driver who hit Lewner while traveling southbound stayed at the scene and was not charged. Newsday (subscription req'd) reports that a dentist friend of Lewner's will see his patients today; Leask said, "That's what Harry would have wanted."

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By Jen Chung in News on December 19, 2009 9:08 AM

Comments [rss]

ozik

Bay Ridge police don't seem especially interested in pursuing this sort of thing, either. I've been trying to get the police to accept my witness for a hit and run case, and they won't talk to me.

NannyState

That Karissa was always a bad tooth...

pastaboy12

i was gunna call and make an appointment with him! NWTF?!?

just saying

Geez, don't you have a pair of pliers handy?

Stewart

it's all about you, huh?

Stewart

Awful. Poor guy.

Steven

Makes you realize how in one second you're just gone. Just like that.

Splicer

Are there more pedestrians hit by vehicles these days or merely that it's being publicized more often?

nicemarmot

As far as I can tell there have always been tons of pedestrians getting hit here. I used to walk about a mile and a half to work and back every day, and I saw a fair amount of crazy shit. I saw my neighbor get hit by a bus three years ago with nary a word about it anywhere in the media, despite the fact that 1st Ave was shut down there for an hour afterward. A year after that I saw the aftermath of another pedestrian being hit over in the east 20s. Never saw anything in the media about that one either.

scrappymcgee

being published more to promote Gothamist's pro-bike agenda

CR

So by your logic people who are against the pro-bicycle lobby are for more hit-and-runs?

Spirit of 76

Yeah, it's just so despicable to be interested a mode of transportation that's environmentally responsible, doesn't keep OPEC rolling in cash, can help improve health and reduce obesity, and doesn't maim and kill people on a daily basis. Shame on you, Gothamist!