By The Diary
Aug 21, 2024, 08:47 AM EDT
Two women are being sought by the NYPD on suspicion of causing the death of pedestrian David Opiela by running him over with a U-Haul truck and causing a pileup early yesterday morning in Queens.
The suspects apparently abandoned the car, at least one of them barefoot, after jumping a curb and fatally striking Opiela at an intersection about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, police said.
The U-Haul truck was heading west on the Horace Harding Expressway in Flushing, approaching Kissena Blvd. when it jumped a curb, struck Opiela and struck a light pole before continuing through the intersection and crashing into a 2015 Honda Accord, police said.
Opiela, 56, of Flushing, was pronounced dead at the scene. Paramedics transported the 42-year-old man driving the Honda Accord to New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Opiela said. Daily News.
Members of the NYPD Collision Investigation Team are trying to determine what caused the crash and are searching for the occupants of the U-Haul truck.
On Monday afternoon, two teenagers riding an electric bike in Brooklyn (NYC) were hit by a truck, killing one of them.
No arrests have been made and no suspects have been identified. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) and for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). They can also be reached via crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or by texting 274637 (CRIMES) followed by TIP577. All communications are strictly confidential.
Authorities remind that there is zero tolerance for drivers who drive at excessive speed and/or under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Cyclists and motorcyclists are also frequent protagonists of road accidents, as victims and perpetrators, by riding on sidewalks, disregarding traffic lights and even the direction of the streets.
In May, a 71-year-old Puerto Rican grandmother died after being hit by a driver who was fleeing from the police in Brooklyn (NYC) and left the scene by getting on the subway. Ironically, just hours before, Governor Kathy Hochul had signed the so-called Sammy’s Law, which reduces the speed limit to 20 mph and even 10 mph on some streets in the five boroughs of NYC to protect pedestrians. So far this year, more than 40 people have been killed in car accidents in the city.
Previously, in December, Gov. Hochul signed “Angelica’s Law,” designed to keep drivers with prior suspensions off the road by charging repeat offenders who operate vehicles after committing five or more traffic violations that resulted in suspensions or revocations with felonies.