Illegal Turn Had Fatal Consequences In Maspeth
Crossing a busy street proved to be deadly for an Elmhurst woman who was killed by an illegally turning vehicle at a Maspeth intersection last Saturday morning, Jan. 18, it was reported.
Police identified the victim as Angela Hurtado, 68, of Case Street in Elmhurst.
The driver of the vehicle- identified by the NYPD as Abel Tinoco, 28, of 129th Street in Richmond Hill-was arrested at the scene for allegedly driving with a suspended license.
Reportedly, the accident occurred at 11:20 a.m. last Saturday at the corner of Grand Avenue and 69th Place.
According to information obtained by police, Hurtado was walking across Grand Avenue from north to south when she was hit by a black 2002 Mitsubishi Montero driven by Tinoco.
Law enforcement sources said Tinoco was turning the vehicle left from 69th Place northbound onto Grand Avenue westbound. That turn is prohibited, according to signs posted on 69th Place.
Following the accident, authorities noted, Tinoco stopped his vehicle and remained at the scene.
Members of the 104th Precinct and EMS units rushed to the location. Hurtado, who suffered severe head and body trauma, was removed by paramedics to Elmhurst Hospital Center, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
Police officers checked Tinoco’s license and found that it had been suspended, law enforcement sources stated. He was subsequently taken into custody and charged with aggravated unlicensed operator.
Any additional charges are pending the results of the ongoing inquiry by the NYPD Collision Investigation Squad, it was noted.
Last Saturday’s fatal accident renewed calls from local civic leaders for an increase in pedestrian safety along Grand Avenue in Maspeth, which has seen in recent months a number of dangerous accidents.
The Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together (COMET) civic association plans to start a committee to address various traffic issues in the area, COMET President Rosemarie Daraio said in an email to the Times Newsweekly on Sunday, Jan. 19. She has reached out to both City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley and Maspeth Town Hall toward that effort.
“We’ve put in proposals throughout our civic area but need to put pressure on to get the dangerous conditions addressed,” Daraio wrote.
