Fleeing from a fatal accident on an Astoria street back in June was a costly mistake for a neighborhood man who was sentenced on Thursday to serve a prison sentence for the crime, prosecutors said.
Nicholas Colleran, 25, of 28th Street pleaded guilty in October to criminally negligent homicide and a traffic violation for his role in the June 27 accident that claimed the life of 21-year-old pedestrian Betty DiBiasio.
According to authorities, DiBiasio was walking through a marked crosswalk at the corner of Ditmars Boulevard and 19th Street at 12:26 a.m. when she was hit by a 2002 Chevrolet Impala driven by Colleran. Despite striking the woman, police said, Colleran did not stop and sped away from the scene.
Officers from the 114th Precinct and EMS units responded to the accident. DiBiasio later died at a local hospital from her injuries.
Police said Colleran’s car was later discovered in the rear of a 42nd Street home in Astoria with a broken windshield, broken driver’s side-view mirror and damaged driver’s side front fender. Blood and hair from the victim was also found in the damaged windshield, authorities noted.
A day after the accident, prosecutors said, Colleran turned himself in to the 114th Precinct’s Astoria stationhouse and admitted to consuming two beers before getting behind the wheel and striking DiBiasio.
“This case is yet another example of how deadly motor vehicles can be and the consequences of ignoring traffic regulations,” Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said in a statement. “Driving is privilege, not a right, and extreme caution should be exercised at all times in order to prevent lives from being senselessly destroyed.”
