Motorists Crash Into Businesses in Queens and Brooklyn, Taking Life and Limb

The motorist who crashed into a garage in Willets Point, killing one man and injuring two. Photo: DNAinfo

Curb-jumping motorists have crashed into places of business in Brooklyn and Queens in two incidents since Tuesday morning, leaving one dead and several injured, including a man whose legs were reported severed.

At approximately 11:40 a.m. yesterday, a speeding driver rear-ended a vehicle on 126th Street in Willets Point, then veered off the street and crashed into an auto body shop, according to NYPD and published reports. The motorist hit one employee who was standing on the sidewalk, severing his legs below the knees. The driver then hit one or more vehicles inside the shop, and two mechanics. One man, age 33, was killed. The other man inside the shop, age 34, was reported in serious but stable condition, and the 30-year-old man who lost his legs was listed in critical condition, according to NYPD and the Times Ledger.

DNAinfo posted photos of the driver, age 52, being interviewed by police. No arrests were made yesterday, and NYPD had no further information on charges or summonses as of this morning. Police had not yet released the identity of the man who was killed. A commenter on DNAinfo who identified the victim as his father posted a photo on Facebook.

At 6:15 a.m. today in Park Slope, a motorist drove through the front of a deli at 439 Fifth Avenue. The Post reported that a store employee and the driver were injured.

A deli worker was injured by a motorist who jumped a curb in Park Slope. Photo: New York Post

“The whole front is gone. I was working at the deli. Thank God I’m okay,” said Nasr Alshd, another deli employee. “There was a lot of glass and damage to the store. The car was inside the store.”

NYPD had no information on the Park Slope crash.

The man who died yesterday was at least the fifth pedestrian killed by a curb-jumping driver in 2013, according to crash data compiled by Streetsblog. Countless more have been injured this year by motorists who left the roadway. No drivers are known to have been charged for crashing into bystanders who were killed, maimed, and injured while walking on a sidewalk, waiting for a bus, or working indoors.

The fatal Queens crash occurred in the 110th Precinct, and in the City Council district represented by Julissa Ferreras. The Park Slope crash occurred in the 78th Precinct, in the council district represented by Brad Lander.

  • Anonymous

    When people claimed that we (collectively) were “over reacting” to the Boston bombing, I think it’s best to think of such claims in the context of the incident described in this article.

    We have a horrific and violent death. We have mangled limbs. We have ruined families.

    Whereas, incidents like the Boston bombing are incredibly rare, we have an incredible amount of resources dedicated to preventing such acts, and pursuing the perpetrators.

    Whereas, incidents like the accident/killing described in the article above, are considered so ordinary course, that they hardly make the news and generate de minimis attention from law enforcement (in terms of punishing the perpetrators and preventing future incidents).

    But sadly, accidents/crashes like this one are very frequent. The survivors have terrible and life long injuries due to no fault of their own.

    I wish we as a society, did something to minimize these incidents. A breadwinner is dead. Some guy lost his legs. Whereas the purposeful bad acts of the Boston bombers leaves many calling for the surviving bomber’s death, the killer in this instance, likely won’t even face a court room, notwithstanding the massive harm and loss of life he inflicted on others due to his reckless conduct.

    Strict Criminal Liability. If uou kill someone while driving, then there should be a rebuttable presumption of involuntary manslaughter.

  • Daphna

    In Queens the driver killed one person, caused another to be a double amputee, and seriously injured a third. Had that driver used a weapon other than a car, there would be a huge investigation and charges brought. If it had been a bomb, the charge would be using a weapon of mass destruction.

    I wish that deaths from motor vehicle were treated with the same concern and same sense of wrongdoing as deaths from other means.

  • Daphna

    In Queens the driver killed one person, caused another to be a double amputee, and seriously injured a third. Had that driver used a weapon other than a car, there would be a huge investigation and charges brought. If it had been a bomb, the charge would be using a weapon of mass destruction.

    I wish that deaths from motor vehicle were treated with the same concern and same sense of wrongdoing as deaths from other means.

  • Larry Littlefield

    I just saw a video of the curb jumper in Park Slope. Not only did the van blast through a bike lane, it nearly ran over two tourists! From the Netherlands!

    The Post ought to give the driver a medal, given their hostile attitude toward the guests of our city and anyone who gets in the way of motor vehicles.

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