A 76-year-old woman named Lyudmila Braun died Sunday after a solar panel tore free from a rooftop structure during a nor’easter and struck her in Brooklyn.
Police say the accident happened around 10:30 a.m. near Ocean Parkway and West Brighton Beach Avenue. According to the Department of Buildings, the panel came loose from its steel frame and was carried about 20 feet by strong wind gusts before hitting her.
“It was a shock. The security guard in my building told me the solar panel, this one right here on the edge, fell down on the lady’s head and killed her,” said neighbor Lynn Arola. “And he was all shook up.”
Braun was found unconscious and taken to the hospital, but she didn’t survive. The city is investigating what happened. Officials have closed part of the parking lot under the panel structure and temporarily shut down a nearby subway entrance to keep people safe.
Neighbors expressed shock and sadness after hearing the news. One woman, Ala Libman, whose son was friends with Braun, spoke about how the family was coping. “Of course he’s upset. His mom went to do shopping and got killed,” Libman said.
The nor’easter brought heavy rain, strong winds and flooding to parts of New York City and Long Island on Sunday. According to officials, Braun’s death was the only one linked to the storm in New York City.
The owners of the building where the panel came loose have not commented publicly. The Department of Buildings says the investigation is ongoing as they work to determine what played a role in the accident.
For now, Brooklyn is mourning a life lost in a rare and tragic incident, a death in a storm that, while sparing many, claimed one.
