Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Carnage

Hit-and-Run Driver Kills 16-Year-Old Girl on 40 MPH Queens Speedway

4:05 PM EST on February 10, 2016

The speed limit is 40 on the segment of Sunrise Highway where a hit-and-run driver killed a 16-year-old girl. Image: Google Maps
The speed limit is 40 miles per hour on the segment of Sunrise Highway where a hit-and-run driver killed a 16-year-old girl. Image: Google Maps

A hit-and-run driver killed a teenage girl in Rosedale early Wednesday morning.

The 16-year-old victim was crossing Sunrise Highway at Francis Lewis Boulevard in the crosswalk at around 12:15 a.m. when she was hit by the driver of a van, who was traveling east on the highway, according to Gothamist. The Daily News reported that the vehicle was a dollar van.

The girl was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital. Police had not released her identity as of Wednesday afternoon, and no arrests had been made, NYPD told Streetsblog.

WCBS reported that the speed limit on Francis Lewis Boulevard is 25 miles per hour, but it's 40 mph on Sunrise Highway.

Krystina Tucker and her 5-year-old daughter cross there almost every day, CBS2’s Janelle Burrell reported.

“I’ve had a couple incidents where I’m almost hit walking with her to school,” Tucker said.

“They just fly around it [the turn] … there’s cars stopped at the light, they don’t want to wait.”

Another local said motorists often speed on Sunrise, making it more dangerous to cross.

“You have to stop and look around otherwise to cross someone is going to kill you,” [Jean] Charles said.

Even with the crossing light, residents say getting across the four lanes of traffic and the median can be difficult.

“Because it’s so wide, by the time you reach halfway in the road the light’s amber so you have to run to get across,” said Shelline McCook.

The victim was at least the fourth person killed by a hit-and-run driver while walking or biking in NYC in the first six weeks of 2016, according to crash data compiled by Streetsblog. The vast majority of city drivers who kill people and leave the scene are never prosecuted.

This fatal crash occurred in the 105th Precinct, where local officers ticketed 706 speeding drivers in 2015, and in the City Council district represented by Donovan Richards.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Police Brass Gets Booed During E-Vehicle Safety Alliance Meeting for Applauding Deliveristas

Attendees of the E-Vehicle Safety Alliance's latest meeting castigated a Transportation Bureau deputy inspector for saying that delivery workers are responsive to safety issues.

September 28, 2023

Thursday’s Headlines: Unsafe School Streets Edition

A school crossing guard was injured by a drunk driver on Tuesday. Plus more news.

September 28, 2023

EYES ON THE STREET: Drivers Dominate Former W. 22nd Open Street

Meh. The barriers are gone and the cars are back on W. 22nd, but some spaces for people remain.

September 28, 2023

‘Not Grieving Alone’: A Father’s Artistic Journey After Losing Two Kids to Road Violence

Colin Campbell and his wife Gail Lerner lost both their children in a car crash with impaired driver. Now, it's a show.

September 28, 2023

Opinion: Bring Back ‘Give Respect/Get Respect’ Campaign

If cyclists don't throw their own bad apples under the bus, we won't get safer streets, argues this West Side advocate.

September 27, 2023
See all posts