A 41-year-old driver allegedly fell asleep at the wheel before crashing her vehicle on the northbound Cross Island Parkway in Queens early Saturday morning, leading to the death of one of her passengers, according to authorities.
Police, just before 2:30 a.m. on May 21, received a 911 call regarding the collision on the northbound Cross Island Parkway in the vicinity of Hempstead Avenue, within the confines of the 105th Precinct. Upon their arrival, officers found the driver with fractured ribs, a 17-year-old passenger with a broken ankle, and an unidentified third victim — the front seat passenger — unconscious and unresponsive with severe body trauma.
EMS arrived at the scene and declared the front seat passenger dead at the scene. The driver was transported to Manhasset Hospital and is listed in critical but stable condition, according to authorities, and the rear seat passenger was taken to LIJ Cohen Children’s Hospital, where she is listed in stable condition.
An investigation by the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad determined that the driver, who was operating a 2007 Blue Mazda 3 sedan, was traveling northbound on the Cross Island Parkway when she fell asleep and lost control of the vehicle. She veered off the road and up an embankment before crashing into a tree, according to authorities.
The 17-year-old rear seat passenger was allegedly ejected from the vehicle, leading to her suffering a broken ankle.
A police spokesperson could not offer any explanation as to how or why the driver fell asleep at the wheel, nor could they indicate if the driver and passengers were related.
There are no arrests at this time and the investigation remains ongoing.
