Photo: iStock
May 22, 2011 By Christian Murray
A drunk driver who ran over a 62-year-old woman on Friday while she was crossing a busy Woodside street faces seven years in prison.
Claudius Taylor, who was driving a white Ford Explorer, was charged with vehicular manslaughter in the 2nd degree and DWI, according to the Queens District Attorney’s office. Taylor, a 54-year Hispanic man, faces up to 7 years in prison. He has no record of prior incidents.
(UPDATE) The Queens District Attorney’s office identified Taylor as being from 279 Blue Mountain Lake, East Stroudsburg, Pa.
Taylor ran over Shenyu Chin at 8:30 am Friday while she was at the 61st and Roosevelt Ave. crosswalk.
Chin, who was pronounced dead upon arrival at Elmhurst General Hospital, was thrown some distance after being struck by the SUV, and her shoes and socks were knocked off upon impact.
The Ford Explorer was traveling west toward Sunnyside, while Chin was crossing the street from the northern side of Roosevelt Ave. to the southern side.
A witness to the incident said that Chin had the walk signal and was entitled to cross, and believed that the SUV driver was going faster than the 30 MPH speed limit.
It took a few minutes for fire and rescue to get to the crowded Woodside scene. The witness said he couldn’t really look at the Chin because her injuries were too severe. He said people had started to give Chin CPR before EMS arrived.
(See stories and comments since Friday)
