This weekend authorities released the preliminary findings in an investigation into a crash that sent 70-year-old Haitian man, Francois Cadely, and his lone female passenger careening over the side of a bridge into a Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) train yard 40 feet below in Brooklyn on Friday.
The family of Cadley mourned their loved one on the first day of the New Year as Haiti celebrated its 219th Independence Day.
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A friend of Cadely remarked, “He was a real, real nice man,” noting that his pal exhibited kindness.
Police said that Cadely plummeted to his death after losing control of the vehicle as he pulled out of a McDonald’s parking space on Atlantic Avenue and accelerated traveling west across from Vanderbilt Avenue near Pacific Street and smashed through a concrete Jersey barrier.
According to police, the Audi landed on its driver’s side.
Cadely passed away at New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital after being taken there by paramedics.
His family is unaware of the woman’s identity, who is currently in critical condition after suffering chest and back injuries.
Although the police first claimed that Cadely had a medical episode, his family told the Daily News that the Medical Examiner’s office had notified them that was not the case.
His loved ones gathered on Sunday at his Canarsie home to grieve his passing. Over bowls of soup joumou, a pumpkin soup that represents Haiti’s independence from France, they sobbed.
Velldreice Cadely, one of his daughters, stated, “He’s leaving behind three daughters and one son, but we have family support.”
“He put his niece through medical school and paid for everything,” shared his close friend Louveau Jean. “Any money he had, he would share it with others.”
Along with other humanitarian endeavors, Cadely helped to build homes in Haiti.
“He formed groups of people to put our money together to send 10 children to school and build wells so people have fresh water to drink,” Jean added. He always had a positive attitude, thus you never saw him sad or depressed.
“Him and I love Haiti,” Jean said. “He tried to help the Haitian people.”
The victim, who worked for a firm that assists immigrants in obtaining insurance, had been residing in the United States since 1980.
