A 73-year-old Astoria woman was arrested Wednesday, June 8, and charged in the fatal crash that took the life of her neighbor last month, according to the NYPD.
Panagiota Arvanitopoulos, of 27th Street, was taken into custody following a lengthy investigation into the collision near Astoria Park on the night of Friday, May 6, that killed a 38-year-old mother of one, Karina Larino, who lived just a block away.
Police from the 114th Precinct in Astoria responded to a 911 call regarding a motor vehicle collision involving a pedestrian and found Larino lying on the roadway with trauma to her body and head. EMS rushed her to Elmhurst Hospital Center, where she was pronounced dead, according to the NYPD.
An investigation determined that Arvanitopoulos was driving a 2005 Honda Element SUV and was turning onto 21st Street when she struck the mother of a 20-year-old daughter as she allegedly walked outside of a marked crosswalk, according to the NYPD. Arvanitopoulos remained at the scene and was not injured, but she was arrested June 8 and charged with failing to yield the right of way and failure to exercise due care, following a month-long probe by the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad.
Larino lived on 21st Street near 25th Road and worked for the MTA as a cleaner and helper at the LaGuardia Bus Depot in East Elmhurst. She worked for the MTA Bus Company since December 2005.
