A woman allegedly sped through a narrow street and drove into an outdoor dining structure in Astoria before fatally striking a 37-year-old delivery man in Astoria Thursday evening, according to authorities.
Preliminary police reports said that a 60-year-old woman was driving northbound on 35th Street near Ditmars Boulevard, around 7:45 p.m. at a high rate of speed on Thursday, April 29.
The woman, in an attempt to pass another car, ran into Xing Long Lin, who was on a motorized scooter, according to a report from ABC 7.
After hitting Lin, the woman continued on, running into two parked and unoccupied cars and barreling into the outdoor dining structure for Rosatoro Restaurant, according to the NYPD. A 32-year-old woman who was eating inside the outdoor structure was hit by falling debris from the collision and suffered trauma to both of her legs, police said.
The driver, whose name has not been released by police, came to a final rest inside Rosatoro’s dining area.
Police arrived to the scene to find Lin, who lived in Elmhurst, unconscious and unresponsive with trauma to his body. He was taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst where he was pronounced dead.
The 32-year-old woman was also taken to the hospital in stable condition. The driver, who also suffered injuries during the crash, was transported to the hospital in stable condition as well.
Lin was a delivery driver for Watawa Sushi, a restaurant only a block away from where he was fatally struck. He began working at the restaurant around a month and a half ago, according to a GoFundMe page created to pay for funeral costs.
Lin, who immigrated to the United States 14 years ago, leaves behind a wife and two young children, the page said.
“Our neighborhood, and this entire city, needs appropriate infrastructure to prevent cars from entering bike lanes. Paint will not save people, proper protection will,” wrote Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, who created the GoFundMe campaign. “Without these changes, more will die.”
No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
Updated at 4:33 p.m., on Friday, April 30, 2021.
