An upstate man has been charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving while under the influence for a high-speed crash that killed a hospital worker, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Alamin Ahmed, 22, of Albany, was arraigned Saturday before Queens Criminal Court Judge Gene Lopez on a complaint charging him with manslaughter in the second degree and vehicular manslaughter in the second degree, criminally negligent homicide and two counts of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
According to the charges, in the early hours of Friday, Nov. 20, Ahmed was driving a silver 2016 Mercedes Benz eastbound at Parsons Boulevard and Union Turnpike at a high rate of speed and collided with a 2003 Toyota Camry, driven by the victim, Daniel Crawford, 52, of Bloomfield, New Jersey.
Video surveillance depicted that the victim was driving southbound on Parsons Boulevard and had a green light. A search warrant which was executed for the crash data recorder of the Mercedes Benz indicated that Ahmed was traveling at 97 miles per hour one second before the collision.
Katz said officers responding to the incident administered a breathalyzer test on the defendant with the results indicating his blood alcohol content was above the New York State legal limit of 0.8. The victim was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead as a result of the injuries sustained in the collision.
“Few choices are more selfish than driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” Katz said. “In this case, the defendant is accused of getting behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol and criminally disregarding the rules of the road with tragic, deadly results.”
Judge Lopez held Ahmed on $25,000 cash, $25,000 bond and $250,000 partially secured bail and ordered him to return to court on Nov. 25. If convicted, Ahmed faces up to 15 years in prison.
