What happened to Mayya Gil? World war II and Chernobyl disaster survivor killed in Brooklyn accident

Mayya Gil, a 95-year-old New Yorker who survived the Nazi invasion of Ukraine, the Chernobyl disaster, and the COVID-19 pandemic, tragically died after being struck by a cargo van while crossing the street in Brooklyn.

The accident occurred midday Thursday, just outside her apartment, as she was crossing Cropsey Avenue accompanied by her caregiver. While the caregiver sustained non-life-threatening injuries, Gil succumbed to hers. Local NYPD officials confirmed no arrests have been made at this time.

---

Who was Mayya Gil?

A towering figure in her local community, Mayya was just 12 years old when she fled her hometown of Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine, for Kyiv following the Nazi invasion. She later started a family in the Ukrainian capital under the Soviet regime, only to face another catastrophe during the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

The 1986 disaster prompted Mayya's twin daughter Larisa to leave Kyiv for New York City. Six years later, in 1992, the rest of the family followed to the Bensonhurst neighborhood of New York City, where Mayya became actively involved in her local Jewish Community Center.

But that was not all for the 95-year-old New Yorker. At the turn of the decade, as the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the nation and turned New York City into one of the hotspots, Gil found her husband one night on the kitchen floor of their apartment. Weak with a fever, he had fallen unconscious and had initial signs of the infection. Soon after, she bid farewell to Vilyam Gil, her husband.

The memory lives on

Gil, who is survived by seven great-grandchildren, leaves behind a legacy as a cherished and influential member of her community. Known for her warmth, resilience, and active lifestyle, she made a lasting impression on everyone who crossed her path. Her daughter Irina Lizunova shared in an interview with Gothamist:

“Everybody knows her...She was a very active lady,” Lizunova said about her mother's vibrant personality.

---

Steady rise in road deaths

Mayya Gil's accident wasn't a lone case. She is only the second elderly person killed crossing a Brooklyn street so far in the year that is hardly a month old. Local transportation advocacy group Transportation Alternatives reported 46 senior pedestrians dying in car crashes across the Big Apple last year.