One Child Dead, Sixty-Seven Hurt—Queens Streets Still Bleed
AD 26: Jan 1, 2022 - Jun 4, 2025
The Toll in AD 26: One Year, One Child Lost
A child died. Six hundred forty-six people were hurt. Nine suffered injuries so severe they may never walk the same. This is Assembly District 26. This is Queens. This is now.
In the last twelve months, one child was killed and sixty-seven more were injured in crashes. The old are not spared. Forty-one people over 75 were hurt. The numbers do not bleed, but the people behind them do. See NYC Open Data.
The Machines That Crush
Cars and SUVs do most of the damage. In three years, they killed two, left six with serious wounds, and battered dozens more. Trucks and buses added five more serious injuries. No one died on a bike. No one died on a motorcycle. The danger comes on four wheels, not two.
Leadership: Steps Taken, Steps Delayed
Assembly Member Ed Braunstein voted yes on a bill to bring speed cameras to school zones in Schenectady. Cameras catch drivers who speed where children walk. The bill passed. But this was not for Queens. It was not for Bayside or Douglaston or Little Neck. It was not for the children who cross 73rd Avenue or Utopia Parkway. See A 7652.
Braunstein has called for more express bus service before congestion pricing begins. He has spoken about funding for the MTA. But on the blood and bone of local streets, the record is thin. The silence is heavy. See NY Post.
What Comes Next: No More Waiting
The disaster is slow, but it is not fate. Lower the speed limits. Build real protection for people on foot and on bikes. Expand speed cameras to every school, every crossing. Hold drivers—not children—accountable.
Call Ed Braunstein. Call your council member. Demand action. Every day of delay is another day for the next siren, the next mother’s scream, the next toy left in the road.
Citations
▸ Citations
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4491477, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-04
- File A 7652, Open States, Published 2024-06-07
- Queens lawmakers demand more MTA bus service to Manhattan before $15 congestion toll begins, nypost.com, Published 2024-05-16
- Adams To Albany: Someone Fund The MTA; Albany To Adams: Someone Fund The MTA, Streetsblog NYC, Published 2023-02-16
▸ Other Geographies
AD 26 Assembly District 26 sits in Queens, Precinct 111, District 19.
It contains Bay Terrace-Clearview, Fort Totten, Bayside, Douglaston-Little Neck, Alley Pond Park, Glen Oaks-Floral Park-New Hyde Park.
▸ See also
Traffic Safety Timeline for Assembly District 26
Audi Turns Left, Strikes Pedestrian on Utopia Parkway▸A 19-year-old crossed with the signal. An Audi turned left. Steel hit flesh. His hip broke. The driver kept going. The street stayed quiet. The wound did not.
A 2007 Audi sedan, driven by a 49-year-old woman, struck a 19-year-old man as he crossed Utopia Parkway with the signal. According to the police report, the driver was making a left turn when she failed to yield the right-of-way. The impact shattered the pedestrian’s hip and left him in pain. The report lists 'Failure to Yield Right-of-Way' as the primary contributing factor. The driver remained licensed and uninjured. The pedestrian was crossing legally at the intersection. No other contributing factors were noted in the report.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4496432,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-14
Permit Driver Slams Sedan Into SUV, Woman Bleeds▸Midday on Cross Island Parkway. A permit driver veered. His sedan struck the rear of a Honda SUV. A woman, 35, bled from the eye. Others suffered head and neck pain. Inexperience and distraction left metal and flesh torn.
On Cross Island Parkway, a sedan driven by a permit holder crashed into the rear of a Honda SUV. According to the police report, 'A permit driver veered, metal kissed metal. His sedan struck a Honda’s rear. A woman, 35, sat bleeding from the eye.' Seven people were involved. The 35-year-old woman suffered severe eye lacerations. Other occupants, including a 17-year-old male and a 62-year-old woman, reported head and neck injuries. The police report lists 'Driver Inexperience' and 'Driver Inattention/Distraction' as contributing factors. All injured parties were conscious. Lap belts were used. The crash underscores the danger when inexperience and distraction meet speed and steel.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4493751,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-14
Elderly Driver Dies After Buick Veers in Queens▸A Buick sedan veered on Union Turnpike. The driver, a 92-year-old man, slumped behind the wheel. The car struck hard. The airbag burst. He died alone in the seat. No other injuries reported. The street fell silent.
A 92-year-old man was killed when his Buick sedan veered west on Union Turnpike near 251st Street in Queens. According to the police report, the driver slumped behind the wheel and the car struck hard, deploying the airbag. The man died in the driver’s seat. No other occupants or bystanders were reported injured. The police report lists 'Illnes' as a contributing factor in the crash. No driver errors such as speeding or failure to yield were cited. No mention of helmet or signal use appears in the report. The crash underscores the sudden danger that can unfold on city streets.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4491477,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-14
A 19-year-old crossed with the signal. An Audi turned left. Steel hit flesh. His hip broke. The driver kept going. The street stayed quiet. The wound did not.
A 2007 Audi sedan, driven by a 49-year-old woman, struck a 19-year-old man as he crossed Utopia Parkway with the signal. According to the police report, the driver was making a left turn when she failed to yield the right-of-way. The impact shattered the pedestrian’s hip and left him in pain. The report lists 'Failure to Yield Right-of-Way' as the primary contributing factor. The driver remained licensed and uninjured. The pedestrian was crossing legally at the intersection. No other contributing factors were noted in the report.
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4496432, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-14
Permit Driver Slams Sedan Into SUV, Woman Bleeds▸Midday on Cross Island Parkway. A permit driver veered. His sedan struck the rear of a Honda SUV. A woman, 35, bled from the eye. Others suffered head and neck pain. Inexperience and distraction left metal and flesh torn.
On Cross Island Parkway, a sedan driven by a permit holder crashed into the rear of a Honda SUV. According to the police report, 'A permit driver veered, metal kissed metal. His sedan struck a Honda’s rear. A woman, 35, sat bleeding from the eye.' Seven people were involved. The 35-year-old woman suffered severe eye lacerations. Other occupants, including a 17-year-old male and a 62-year-old woman, reported head and neck injuries. The police report lists 'Driver Inexperience' and 'Driver Inattention/Distraction' as contributing factors. All injured parties were conscious. Lap belts were used. The crash underscores the danger when inexperience and distraction meet speed and steel.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4493751,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-14
Elderly Driver Dies After Buick Veers in Queens▸A Buick sedan veered on Union Turnpike. The driver, a 92-year-old man, slumped behind the wheel. The car struck hard. The airbag burst. He died alone in the seat. No other injuries reported. The street fell silent.
A 92-year-old man was killed when his Buick sedan veered west on Union Turnpike near 251st Street in Queens. According to the police report, the driver slumped behind the wheel and the car struck hard, deploying the airbag. The man died in the driver’s seat. No other occupants or bystanders were reported injured. The police report lists 'Illnes' as a contributing factor in the crash. No driver errors such as speeding or failure to yield were cited. No mention of helmet or signal use appears in the report. The crash underscores the sudden danger that can unfold on city streets.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4491477,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-14
Midday on Cross Island Parkway. A permit driver veered. His sedan struck the rear of a Honda SUV. A woman, 35, bled from the eye. Others suffered head and neck pain. Inexperience and distraction left metal and flesh torn.
On Cross Island Parkway, a sedan driven by a permit holder crashed into the rear of a Honda SUV. According to the police report, 'A permit driver veered, metal kissed metal. His sedan struck a Honda’s rear. A woman, 35, sat bleeding from the eye.' Seven people were involved. The 35-year-old woman suffered severe eye lacerations. Other occupants, including a 17-year-old male and a 62-year-old woman, reported head and neck injuries. The police report lists 'Driver Inexperience' and 'Driver Inattention/Distraction' as contributing factors. All injured parties were conscious. Lap belts were used. The crash underscores the danger when inexperience and distraction meet speed and steel.
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4493751, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-14
Elderly Driver Dies After Buick Veers in Queens▸A Buick sedan veered on Union Turnpike. The driver, a 92-year-old man, slumped behind the wheel. The car struck hard. The airbag burst. He died alone in the seat. No other injuries reported. The street fell silent.
A 92-year-old man was killed when his Buick sedan veered west on Union Turnpike near 251st Street in Queens. According to the police report, the driver slumped behind the wheel and the car struck hard, deploying the airbag. The man died in the driver’s seat. No other occupants or bystanders were reported injured. The police report lists 'Illnes' as a contributing factor in the crash. No driver errors such as speeding or failure to yield were cited. No mention of helmet or signal use appears in the report. The crash underscores the sudden danger that can unfold on city streets.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4491477,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-14
A Buick sedan veered on Union Turnpike. The driver, a 92-year-old man, slumped behind the wheel. The car struck hard. The airbag burst. He died alone in the seat. No other injuries reported. The street fell silent.
A 92-year-old man was killed when his Buick sedan veered west on Union Turnpike near 251st Street in Queens. According to the police report, the driver slumped behind the wheel and the car struck hard, deploying the airbag. The man died in the driver’s seat. No other occupants or bystanders were reported injured. The police report lists 'Illnes' as a contributing factor in the crash. No driver errors such as speeding or failure to yield were cited. No mention of helmet or signal use appears in the report. The crash underscores the sudden danger that can unfold on city streets.
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4491477, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-14