Family desperate for hit-and-run drivers to come forward after 79-year-old Yvonne Sandiford killed in Brooklyn
NEW YORK - Police are searching for the hit-and-run drivers who struck and killed 79-year-old Yvonne Sandiford on Thursday evening in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
CBS New York's Hannah Kliger spoke with the victim's family on Friday morning.
Yvonne Sandiford was the matriarch of a large family, which is now struggling to cope with her loss. The 79-year-old was a mother of 10, grandmother of more than 20, and great-grandmother of two, according to her youngest son, Patrick.
"She is such a humble person, just loves to laugh," Patrick Sandiford said.
Part of the family immigrated here from Barbados more than 30 years ago, he says, and Sandiford lived in nearby Crown Heights with her older sister. Seven of her kids live overseas, but she was very close with them.
"My family is calling me from England, Barbados, all over the world because they know how close me and my mom was," Patrick Sandiford said.
Police identified Yvonne Sandiford as the victim of a hit-and-run Thursday around 6:30 p.m. near the corner of New York Avenue and Herkimer Street.
Investigators say she was in the crosswalk when the driver of a gray Nissan Rogue hit her while turning and drove away. Then, they say the driver of a white Toyota Sienna hit her again farther down the block near Fulton Street and also kept driving.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
"Whoever you are out there, you have devastated my family, you have taken the life of a wonderful, wonderful person and you should just turn yourself in," Patrick Sandiford said.
Yvonne Sandiford was very independent, according to her family, and must have stepped out to run a quick errand when this happened. She has been retired for about a decade, according to her son, but before that worked as a cook in a local hospital.
It does not appear the two drivers were connected in any way, according to police, who have not made any arrests yet. We're told this investigation continues.
"Right now, I'm standing, but I have no life in me. My body, my gut is ripped out of me. And I just hope that my family can pull through this, because it's hard, it's hard for everybody, and it's ridiculous that people can do something like this and just go on," Patrick Sandiford said.
This comes as traffic safety advocates continue to push for better street safety measures, citing a report released by the city's Department of Transportation last year. Data shows that while seniors make up less than 15% of our population, they represent more than 45% of the city's annual pedestrian fatalities.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.