Queens Pedestrian is Backed Over and Killed by Driver Who is Not Charged

A driver backing out of his driveway ran over and killed one of his neighbors on a Queens street on Saturday, yet was not charged even for the basic negligence.

According to police, the Honda owner drove — backwards — out of his driveway at 30-23 69th Street in Jackson Heights at around 6:15 p.m. when he struck a 57-year-old man, whose name was not immediately released, who was standing on the sidewalk, as people do.

EMTs took the victim to Elmhurst Hospital, where he died. The driver was not charged, though according to police, the investigation is "ongoing."

The lack of charges is surprising, given that drivers who are moving backwards have a higher liability, especially when they are crossing sidewalks. Such low-speed crashes should never result in death, yet do fairly frequently. Last year, Stella Clinton was killed on a Marine Park sidewalk by a driver who was backing up. That driver was charged, but the charges were allowed to expire last month by Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. [Editor's note: A story on that case is posted here.]