Say Drunk Driver Killed Relative
A Flushing man was allegedly drunk behind the wheel of an SUV which crashed on the Long Island Expressway near the Corona/Rego Park border on Wednesday morning, Jan. 2, leaving a relative dead and three others injured, law enforcement sources said.
Ricardo Rivas, 39, of 170th Street was booked by police on charges of vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and driving while intoxicated for the accident which claimed the life of a passenger, identified by police as Carlos Rivas, 27, of 210th Street in Bayside.
According to NYPD sources, the suspected drunk driver and the deceased victim were related to each other, though the exact relation was not disclosed by police as the Times Newsweekly went to press on Wednesday afternoon.
Reportedly, the one-vehicle accident occurred at around 4 a.m. on the eastbound side of the Long Island Expressway a few yards east of the 108th Street exit.
According to information obtained by detectives, Ricardo Rivas was driving a 2003 Ford Explorer eastbound on the highway while Carlos Rivas rode in the front passenger seat and three others were seated in the rear.
Law enforcement sources said the driver allegedly lost control of his vehicle, which then swerved and struck a concrete barrier just beyond the 108th Street off-ramp.
Officers from the 112th Precinct and the NYPD Highway Patrol rushed to the scene along with EMS units.
Upon their arrival, the first responders found Carlos Rivas, who had sustained severe body trauma. He was rushed by paramedics to New York Hospital Queens, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The three passengers in the rear of the SUV were taken by EMS units to Elmhurst Hospital Center and were listed in stable condition.
Following a preliminary investigation, Ricardo Rivas was taken into custody and later booked. As of press time, he was still being held pending arraignment in Queens Criminal Court.
A probe by the NYPD Accident Investigation Squad is ongoing, police said.
