Stop Waiting for the Next Body
Precinct 108: Jan 1, 2022 - Jun 6, 2025
The Bodies in the Road
A 16-year-old girl, dead at an intersection. A 28-year-old woman, thrown from her bike and killed by a turning truck. An 18-year-old moped rider, ejected and left unconscious. A 75-year-old man, gone in the back seat of a car. In the last twelve months, three people have died in Precinct 108. Nine more suffered serious injuries. The list of the wounded is long: 738 injured, many left with broken bones, torn flesh, or worse. See the NYC Open Data crash records.
Children are not spared. One child killed, 28 more injured. The numbers do not tell you about the shoes left behind, the blood on the curb, the families who wait for a voice that will never come home.
The Machines That Kill
SUVs and cars do most of the damage. They killed four, left 52 with moderate injuries, and three with wounds called “serious.” Trucks and buses add eight more to the count. Bikes and mopeds, too, but the weight of steel and speed is what breaks bodies here. See the NYC Open Data vehicle breakdown.
Leadership: Words, Laws, and Silence
The city has the power to lower speed limits. Albany passed Sammy’s Law. The city can act. But the speed on most streets is still 25 mph. Cameras that catch speeders are proven to save lives, but their future is always in doubt. The police can enforce the law. They can ticket speeders, reckless drivers, those who fail to yield. They have the tools. They need only use them.
When the system fails, the metal falls. In April, debris from the No. 7 train crashed through a windshield at Queens Plaza. “I thought we were being shot at at the time because the velocity of the metal it hit so hard that for a second I thought it was a bullet,” said Rahimi. The city promises inspections. The danger remains.
What Comes Next
This is not fate. These are not accidents. Every death is a choice made by leaders who wait, by police who look away, by laws left unenforced. Call your council member. Call the mayor. Demand a 20 mph speed limit. Demand enforcement. Demand action.
Do not wait for another body in the road.
Citations
▸ Citations
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4709150, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-04
- Falling Subway Debris Strikes Car In Queens, ABC7, Published 2025-04-21
▸ Other Geographies
Precinct 108 Police Precinct 108 sits in Queens.
It contains Queens CB2, Long Island City-Hunters Point, Sunnyside, Woodside, Sunnyside Yards (South), Calvary & Mount Zion Cemeteries.
▸ See also
Traffic Safety Timeline for Police Precinct 108
Sedan Hits E-Scooter on Queens Boulevard▸A sedan turning right struck an eastbound e-scooter on Queens Boulevard. The e-scooter driver, 23, suffered knee and lower leg injuries. Both vehicles hit front center. Driver distraction caused the crash. The rider was conscious and bruised.
According to the police report, a sedan making a right turn collided with an eastbound e-scooter on Queens Boulevard in Queens. The e-scooter driver, a 23-year-old male, was injured with contusions to his knee and lower leg but was conscious at the scene. The report lists 'Driver Inattention/Distraction' as a contributing factor for the crash. The sedan's front center impacted the e-scooter's front center. The e-scooter driver was not ejected and wore no safety equipment. The sedan driver was licensed and traveling northwest. The crash caused visible damage to both vehicles' front ends.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4501694,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-19
Sedan Side-Impacted by Tractor Truck on Greenpoint Avenue▸A sedan stopped in traffic on Greenpoint Avenue was struck on its left side by a westbound tractor truck. The sedan’s driver, a 43-year-old man, suffered abdominal and pelvic injuries and was left in shock. Driver distraction and inexperience contributed to the crash.
According to the police report, a 2019 sedan stopped in traffic on Greenpoint Avenue was hit on its left side doors by a westbound 2005 tractor truck. The sedan’s driver, a 43-year-old man, was injured with abdominal and pelvic trauma and experienced shock. The report lists driver inattention and distraction as contributing factors for the sedan driver, who held only a permit and was inexperienced. The truck driver was licensed and traveling straight ahead. The impact occurred on the sedan’s left side and the truck’s right front bumper. No ejections occurred. The sedan driver was restrained by a lap belt and harness. The crash highlights driver errors including inattention, distraction, and inexperience.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4495168,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-19
Queens Sedan Collision Injures Rear Passenger▸Two sedans collided on 43 Street in Queens. One driver made a left turn while the other went straight. A 25-year-old female rear passenger suffered a head contusion. The crash involved driver distraction and an unlicensed driver behind the wheel.
According to the police report, two sedans collided on 43 Street in Queens. One vehicle was traveling eastbound going straight, while the other was making a left turn westbound. The driver making the left turn was unlicensed. The crash caused injury to a 25-year-old female rear passenger, who sustained a head contusion and was conscious at the scene. The report lists driver inattention and distraction as contributing factors. The impact occurred at the left front bumper of the eastbound sedan and the center front end of the westbound sedan. No ejections were reported. The injured passenger was not using any safety equipment.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4492916,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-19
A sedan turning right struck an eastbound e-scooter on Queens Boulevard. The e-scooter driver, 23, suffered knee and lower leg injuries. Both vehicles hit front center. Driver distraction caused the crash. The rider was conscious and bruised.
According to the police report, a sedan making a right turn collided with an eastbound e-scooter on Queens Boulevard in Queens. The e-scooter driver, a 23-year-old male, was injured with contusions to his knee and lower leg but was conscious at the scene. The report lists 'Driver Inattention/Distraction' as a contributing factor for the crash. The sedan's front center impacted the e-scooter's front center. The e-scooter driver was not ejected and wore no safety equipment. The sedan driver was licensed and traveling northwest. The crash caused visible damage to both vehicles' front ends.
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4501694, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-19
Sedan Side-Impacted by Tractor Truck on Greenpoint Avenue▸A sedan stopped in traffic on Greenpoint Avenue was struck on its left side by a westbound tractor truck. The sedan’s driver, a 43-year-old man, suffered abdominal and pelvic injuries and was left in shock. Driver distraction and inexperience contributed to the crash.
According to the police report, a 2019 sedan stopped in traffic on Greenpoint Avenue was hit on its left side doors by a westbound 2005 tractor truck. The sedan’s driver, a 43-year-old man, was injured with abdominal and pelvic trauma and experienced shock. The report lists driver inattention and distraction as contributing factors for the sedan driver, who held only a permit and was inexperienced. The truck driver was licensed and traveling straight ahead. The impact occurred on the sedan’s left side and the truck’s right front bumper. No ejections occurred. The sedan driver was restrained by a lap belt and harness. The crash highlights driver errors including inattention, distraction, and inexperience.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4495168,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-19
Queens Sedan Collision Injures Rear Passenger▸Two sedans collided on 43 Street in Queens. One driver made a left turn while the other went straight. A 25-year-old female rear passenger suffered a head contusion. The crash involved driver distraction and an unlicensed driver behind the wheel.
According to the police report, two sedans collided on 43 Street in Queens. One vehicle was traveling eastbound going straight, while the other was making a left turn westbound. The driver making the left turn was unlicensed. The crash caused injury to a 25-year-old female rear passenger, who sustained a head contusion and was conscious at the scene. The report lists driver inattention and distraction as contributing factors. The impact occurred at the left front bumper of the eastbound sedan and the center front end of the westbound sedan. No ejections were reported. The injured passenger was not using any safety equipment.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4492916,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-19
A sedan stopped in traffic on Greenpoint Avenue was struck on its left side by a westbound tractor truck. The sedan’s driver, a 43-year-old man, suffered abdominal and pelvic injuries and was left in shock. Driver distraction and inexperience contributed to the crash.
According to the police report, a 2019 sedan stopped in traffic on Greenpoint Avenue was hit on its left side doors by a westbound 2005 tractor truck. The sedan’s driver, a 43-year-old man, was injured with abdominal and pelvic trauma and experienced shock. The report lists driver inattention and distraction as contributing factors for the sedan driver, who held only a permit and was inexperienced. The truck driver was licensed and traveling straight ahead. The impact occurred on the sedan’s left side and the truck’s right front bumper. No ejections occurred. The sedan driver was restrained by a lap belt and harness. The crash highlights driver errors including inattention, distraction, and inexperience.
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4495168, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-19
Queens Sedan Collision Injures Rear Passenger▸Two sedans collided on 43 Street in Queens. One driver made a left turn while the other went straight. A 25-year-old female rear passenger suffered a head contusion. The crash involved driver distraction and an unlicensed driver behind the wheel.
According to the police report, two sedans collided on 43 Street in Queens. One vehicle was traveling eastbound going straight, while the other was making a left turn westbound. The driver making the left turn was unlicensed. The crash caused injury to a 25-year-old female rear passenger, who sustained a head contusion and was conscious at the scene. The report lists driver inattention and distraction as contributing factors. The impact occurred at the left front bumper of the eastbound sedan and the center front end of the westbound sedan. No ejections were reported. The injured passenger was not using any safety equipment.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4492916,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-19
Two sedans collided on 43 Street in Queens. One driver made a left turn while the other went straight. A 25-year-old female rear passenger suffered a head contusion. The crash involved driver distraction and an unlicensed driver behind the wheel.
According to the police report, two sedans collided on 43 Street in Queens. One vehicle was traveling eastbound going straight, while the other was making a left turn westbound. The driver making the left turn was unlicensed. The crash caused injury to a 25-year-old female rear passenger, who sustained a head contusion and was conscious at the scene. The report lists driver inattention and distraction as contributing factors. The impact occurred at the left front bumper of the eastbound sedan and the center front end of the westbound sedan. No ejections were reported. The injured passenger was not using any safety equipment.
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4492916, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-19