By Ivan Pereira
A 21−year−old driver died after his sedan jumped the sidewalk and exploded after crashing into a Flushing home early Thursday morning, police said.
The unidentified man was traveling south on the Horace Harding Expressway near 61st Road and Main Street around 12:40 a.m. in his Toyota Corolla when he lost control of the vehicle, skidded, struck a pole, flew into the air and went head on into a one−family house, according to police. Although the driver was killed instantly, the family inside the burning house was able to escape the flames that destroyed the right side of their home and the car, a family friend said.
“We came over to see what happened and there was a fire,” said Vivian Wang, who knows the family and lives near their house. “We were very scared.”
Investigators said they do not know what caused the driver to lose control of his car, but there were empty beer bottles within the debris. The investigation was ongoing.
Susie Kullawattana, who lives next door to the gutted home, saw the accident as she was coming home from her job in Manhattan as a cook. The mother of two said she was grateful that her home only suffered slight damage during the accident.
“I thought I heard a bomb or tornado. Then I saw the car in the wall,” she said.
Kullawattana’s son Tony, 29, who has lived on the block for more than 20 years with his family, said that section of the Horace Harding has been prone to accidents. He said a cab crashed into his house some years ago.
“There are a lot of crashes here,” he said.
