No More Deaths in the Crosswalk
AD 33: Jan 1, 2022 - Jun 4, 2025
Blood on the Asphalt
A man steps off the curb. A truck turns left. The man is crushed. He dies at the intersection of Hillside Avenue and 212th Street. He was 29. The cause: driver inattention and an oversized vehicle. There is no monument. Only a record in the city’s database.
In the last twelve months, 2 people died and 4 suffered serious injuries on the streets of Assembly District 33. 753 were hurt. Children, elders, workers. The numbers do not rest. They do not heal. They only grow.
The Names Behind the Numbers
Jose Jimenez, 78, tried to cross Jericho Turnpike. A Dodge Ram turned left. Jimenez was hit, suffered a massive head injury, and died a week later. The driver stayed. Five months passed before charges came. The charge: failure to yield, a misdemeanor. A desk appearance ticket. That’s all. Police reported the arrest five months after the fatal crash.
On Hempstead Avenue, Gary Charlotin was crossing. A car hit him, threw him into traffic. The driver stopped for two minutes, then sped off, dragging Charlotin’s body for blocks. Bystanders screamed. The District Attorney called it “a horrific death for the victim… The conduct displayed that evening demonstrates a complete disregard for human life.” The DA’s statement is a grim reminder of the cost of inaction.
What Has Been Done—And What Has Not
Assembly Member Clyde Vanel voted yes to expand school speed cameras in Schenectady, a step for children’s safety elsewhere. He co-sponsored a bill to force repeat dangerous drivers to use speed limiters. These are steps. But the carnage continues here. The streets of AD 33 remain deadly for those on foot and bike. Speed, inattention, and oversized vehicles are the killers. Enforcement comes late, if at all.
The Next Step Is Yours
Every day of delay means another name, another family broken. Call Assembly Member Vanel. Call your council member. Demand lower speed limits. Demand speed cameras that never go dark. Demand streets that do not kill.
Do not wait for another body in the road.
Citations
▸ Citations
- Queens Driver Drags Pedestrian Three Blocks, NY Daily News, Published 2025-06-03
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4648067, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-04
- Driver Charged Months After Queens Fatality, NY Daily News, Published 2025-05-21
- Queens Driver Drags Pedestrian Three Blocks, NY Daily News, Published 2025-06-03
- File A 7652, Open States, Published 2024-06-07
- File A 2299, Open States, Published 2025-01-17
▸ Other Geographies
AD 33 Assembly District 33 sits in Queens, Precinct 105, District 27.
It contains Queens Village, Cambria Heights.
▸ See also
Traffic Safety Timeline for Assembly District 33
Four Sedans Collide on Farmers Boulevard, Woman Killed▸Four sedans crash on Farmers Boulevard. Metal twists. Glass flies. A 23-year-old woman dies at the wheel. Engines stop. The street grows quiet. The system fails. No clear cause. Only loss remains.
On Farmers Boulevard, four sedans collided midday. According to the police report, a 23-year-old woman, belted in her car, died at the scene. The crash involved vehicles traveling north, south, and east, with one parked sedan struck. The report lists no specific driver errors or contributing factors. All injuries except the fatality are unspecified. The police report states: 'Farmers Boulevard, midday—four sedans collide. A 23-year-old woman, belted in her car, dies at the wheel. Glass scatters. Metal folds. Engines go still. The street holds her silence.' No helmet or signal issues are cited. The cause remains officially unspecified in the data.
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Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4510803,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-14
Honda Sedan Slams Object, Driver Bleeds▸A Honda sedan turned left on 94 Road. The front end struck something unseen. The airbag burst. The driver, thirty, bled from the head. He spoke in fragments. The night in Queens left him broken and dazed.
A 2015 Honda sedan made a left turn at 94 Road and 217 Street in Queens. The car's front end struck an unknown object. According to the police report, the airbag deployed. The driver, a 30-year-old man, suffered severe head lacerations and was incoherent at the scene. He wore a seatbelt. No other injuries were specified. The report lists no clear contributing factors beyond 'Unspecified.' The impact left the driver hurt and bleeding, with the car's left front bumper damaged.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4497920,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-14
Four sedans crash on Farmers Boulevard. Metal twists. Glass flies. A 23-year-old woman dies at the wheel. Engines stop. The street grows quiet. The system fails. No clear cause. Only loss remains.
On Farmers Boulevard, four sedans collided midday. According to the police report, a 23-year-old woman, belted in her car, died at the scene. The crash involved vehicles traveling north, south, and east, with one parked sedan struck. The report lists no specific driver errors or contributing factors. All injuries except the fatality are unspecified. The police report states: 'Farmers Boulevard, midday—four sedans collide. A 23-year-old woman, belted in her car, dies at the wheel. Glass scatters. Metal folds. Engines go still. The street holds her silence.' No helmet or signal issues are cited. The cause remains officially unspecified in the data.
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4510803, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-14
Honda Sedan Slams Object, Driver Bleeds▸A Honda sedan turned left on 94 Road. The front end struck something unseen. The airbag burst. The driver, thirty, bled from the head. He spoke in fragments. The night in Queens left him broken and dazed.
A 2015 Honda sedan made a left turn at 94 Road and 217 Street in Queens. The car's front end struck an unknown object. According to the police report, the airbag deployed. The driver, a 30-year-old man, suffered severe head lacerations and was incoherent at the scene. He wore a seatbelt. No other injuries were specified. The report lists no clear contributing factors beyond 'Unspecified.' The impact left the driver hurt and bleeding, with the car's left front bumper damaged.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4497920,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-14
A Honda sedan turned left on 94 Road. The front end struck something unseen. The airbag burst. The driver, thirty, bled from the head. He spoke in fragments. The night in Queens left him broken and dazed.
A 2015 Honda sedan made a left turn at 94 Road and 217 Street in Queens. The car's front end struck an unknown object. According to the police report, the airbag deployed. The driver, a 30-year-old man, suffered severe head lacerations and was incoherent at the scene. He wore a seatbelt. No other injuries were specified. The report lists no clear contributing factors beyond 'Unspecified.' The impact left the driver hurt and bleeding, with the car's left front bumper damaged.
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4497920, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-14