By Chris Fuchs
Three people who were struck by a car while crossing Queens Boulevard Saturday night were in stable condition, the police said. The driver was not charged in the accident.
The accident occurred around 11:45 p.m. Saturday night at Queens Boulevard and 43rd Avenue, said Officer Joseph Cavitolo, a police spokesman.
The three pedestrians — Joel Norena, 47; Louisa Norena, 11; and Amparo Norena, 55 — were crossing Queens Boulevard when a car making a left turn from 43rd Avenue struck them, said Detective Valerie St. Rose, a police spokeswoman.
The police said the pedestrians’ injuries were all minor, and they were taken to Elmhurst Hospital, where they were in stable condition Sunday morning.
The driver, Jarrow Ardztban, 29, of Sunnyside, was initially arrested for driving while intoxicated, the police said. But additional tests concluded that his blood alcohol content did not meet the requirements for being considered legally drunk, they said. Ardztban was then released and not charged in the accident.
Since 1993, there have been 73 pedestrian fatalities on Queens Boulevard, a thoroughfare that traverses the borough from Long Island City to Jamaica. The most recent death occurred last month, when an 83-year-old man was struck at 80th Road in Kew Gardens. In November, a 14-year-old girl was killed as she tried to cross at 67th Avenue in Rego Park.
State Sen. Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose) and state Assemblywoman Deborah Glick (D-Manhattan) plan to introduce legislation to establish a photo radar pilot program in New York City.
The proposed legislation, put together with the pedestrian advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, is the result of the high pedestrian fatality rates due to speeding along Queens Boulevard, Padavan said.
In an effort to avert further accidents, the police and the city Department of Transportation have put into place a regiment of safety measures along the 12-lane roadway, the most recent of which was lengthening the amount of time that traffic signals turn from green to red.
Last week DOT Commissioner Iris Weinshall announced that 24 traffic lights between 63rd Drive and 83rd Avenue — a stretch of the boulevard where most of the fatal accidents occurred — would be adjusted to give pedestrians a total of 60 seconds to cross. Other safety measures being carried out include median fencing from 67th Road to 70th Road; repainting crosswalks; and issuing summons to drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians.
Reach reporter Chris Fuchs by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 156.
