UPDATED Jan. 12, 2:15 p.m.
The suspect in a deadly Flushing hit-and-run accident that killed a 77-year-old woman earlier this week allegedly told detectives that she initially thought her car had struck a chunk of ice.
On Thursday, Jan. 11, police arrested Geum Min, 58, for striking Jun Sum Yim with her car and fleeing the scene. She was charged with leaving the scene of an accident, operating a motor vehicle and failing to yield to pedestrian and failure to exercise due care.
Min was charged with leaving the scene of an incident without reporting/death, right of way and drivers to exercise due care. If convicted, she faces up to seven years in prison.
According to police, at 7:08 a.m. on Jan. 10, police responded to a 911 call regarding a pedestrian struck at Parsons Boulevard and 32nd Avenue.
Upon their arrival, police said, the officers found Jun Sum Yim — who lived on Parsons Boulevard, just two blocks north of the intersection — lying on the street unconscious and unresponsive.
A preliminary investigation found that Yim was walking across Parsons Boulevard mid-block between 32nd and 33rd Avenues when she was struck by an unknown vehicle. After Yim was hit, the vehicle fled the scene.
EMS responded to the scene and transported Yim to Flushing Hospital Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
An investigation found that at 7:01 a.m. that day, Min was driving a black 2016 Toyota Corolla when she struck Yim while turning on to Parsons Boulevard. She continued to drive, dragging Yim approximately 193 feet.
At the time of her arrest, prosecutors said, Min told officers that she thought a chunk of ice got lodged underneath her car and kept driving until the ice broke off. When she arrived at work, which was a nearby hospital, she heard that a pedestrian had been taken to the emergency room.
Min then allegedly told police that she had a weird feeling all day that she may have indeed hit a pedestrian that morning and not a chunk of ice.
A surveillance video allegedly shows a black Toyota Corolla hit Yim as she stepped into crosswalk with the pedestrian walk signal in her favor. The Corolla was also allegedly seen continuing to drive down the block without stopping.
“My heart goes out to the victim and family of this horrible hit-and-run. To lose an elderly family member to such a cowardly act is truly devastating,” said City Council Member Peter Koo in a Jan. 10 statement. “Too many of our neighbors, friends, and families have suffered irreparably at the hands of irresponsible and unethical drivers. I encourage everyone commuting, especially in these winter conditions, to pay attention to your surroundings and travel defensively.”
