Brooklyn, NY — May 24, 2025, Valentin Ivancsuk was killed in a fire truck accident at about 11:55 p.m. at Flatbush Avenue and Avenue U in Marine Park.

Authorities said a New York Fire Department truck was headed south on Flatbush Avenue with its lights and sirens on when it collided with a motorcycle that had been westbound on Avenue U.

The motorcyclist, 30-year-old Valentin Ivancsuk, died after being transported to a nearby hospital, according to authorities.

Firefighters on the truck were assessed at the scene, but no other injuries were reported, authorities said.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the crash at this time. The accident is still under investigation.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When most people hear about a deadly crash involving a fire truck, one question tends to come up quickly: Can emergency vehicles be held accountable when someone dies? It’s a fair question, and a complicated one. What the law says and what actually happened in this particular crash may not always align as cleanly as the headlines suggest.

The reports say a fire truck was running with its lights and sirens on when it hit a motorcycle in an intersection. That may sound cut-and-dried to some folks; the fire truck had the right of way, and the motorcyclist didn’t yield. But from a legal standpoint, things are rarely that simple. Even vehicles responding to emergencies have rules they must follow, and one of the most important is that they must still operate with “due regard” for the safety of others on the road.

That opens up a series of critical, unanswered questions: Was the motorcycle already in the intersection when the fire truck approached? How fast was the truck going? Did the driver have a clear view of cross traffic? Was the siren actually audible? Were lights visible from all directions? Did the intersection have any obstructed sight lines that might have made it harder for either driver to react in time?

We don’t have that information yet, and without it, there's no responsible way to say who’s at fault. What I can say from experience is that cases like this often come down to hard evidence, things like dash cam footage, vehicle telemetry and eyewitness statements. Even radio logs or GPS data from the fire truck can tell investigators when the emergency call came in, how the truck moved in response, and whether there was time to avoid the crash.

In fact, I’ve handled cases involving emergency vehicles before, and they always hinge on the same thing: Did the crew follow proper protocols, or did someone let the urgency of the moment override the need to drive safely? That’s not something we can figure out just by reading a crash summary; it takes an independent investigation, not just an internal one. After all, when a government agency is involved, there’s always a risk that critical questions go unasked or unreported unless outside pressure is applied.

Key Takeaways

• Emergency vehicles must still exercise “due regard” for others, even with lights and sirens on.
• Key unanswered questions include the position of both vehicles at the time of impact, speed, visibility and whether warning signals were effectively used.
• Evidence like dash cam footage, GPS logs and witness accounts will be central to determining accountability.
• Independent investigation, not just internal agency review, is essential to getting the full story.
• Responsibility in emergency vehicle crashes often depends on how procedures were followed, not just who had the right of way.