An Astoria man was killed in a fiery multi-vehicle collision involving a motorcycle and two SUVs in Rego Park on the morning of Saturday, April 5.
According to police, William McField, 55, of Steinway Street, was riding a 2023 KTM motorcycle eastbound on the exit ramp of the Long Island Expressway near 60th Drive and Woodhaven Boulevard just after 9:20 a.m. when the crash occurred. A 42-year-old man driving a 2024 BMW iX was traveling in the same direction at the time.
A preliminary investigation by the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad determined that both vehicles entered the intersection and made a right turn onto the southbound lanes of Woodhaven Boulevard, near Eliot Avenue, when the BMW struck the rear of the motorcycle. The impact caused the SUV to run over both McField and his motorcycle, engulfing both vehicles in flames.
The BMW then crashed into a 2023 Mazda CX-5 driven by a 41-year-old woman.
Officers from the 112th Precinct in Forest Hills arrived at the scene and pulled McField from the wreckage. EMS pronounced him dead at the scene, police said. The two other drivers remained at the scene and were not injured. No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing.
The fatal crash occurred just five blocks east of another deadly collision that claimed the life of a 23-year-old Glendale cyclist last month.
On the evening of Wednesday, March 19, Jorman Esparza-Olivares, of 78th Avenue, was riding an e-bike through the intersection of Queens Boulevard and 63rd Drive when he was struck in a chain-reaction crash involving two vehicles.
Police said a 2016 Ford SUV, driven by a 60-year-old man, and a 2014 Mercedes-Benz, driven by a 54-year-old man, were both heading eastbound on Queens Boulevard when Esparza-Olivares attempted to cross the intersection northbound on 63rd Drive. The NYPD’s Collision Investigation Squad determined that the Ford struck Esparza-Olivares first, followed by the Mercedes.
Officers from the 112th Precinct responded to the scene and found the cyclist unconscious and unresponsive with head and body trauma. EMS transported him to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was initially listed in stable condition. However, on Tuesday, April 1, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner informed police that Esparza-Olivares had died from his injuries on March 25.
Both drivers remained on the scene, and no arrests have been made. The investigation remains ongoing.
