Belt Parkway reopens in Queens after drivers suspected of racing crashed, 5 hospitalized
NEW YORK -- Five people were hospitalized Monday after four cars crashed on the Belt Parkway overnight.
All westbound lanes of the parkway near Kennedy Airport were closed. The lanes have since reopened, CBS2's John Dias reported.
UPDATE: The center and right lanes of the westbound Belt Parkway have reopened. Expect delays and consider alternate routes. https://t.co/OrmJ1ZdYlr pic.twitter.com/7bwrywJCj2
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) June 27, 2022
The crash happened near Exit 17 at around 1:30 a.m. Police believe the drivers of a BMW and an Infinity were speeding and possibly racing when they struck two other cars. One of the cars caught fire.
A man who was one of the drivers suspected of speeding was in critical condition, police said. Two women, each in their 20s, have serious injuries.
The women were not believed to have been in the speeding cars, police said.
Watch: Chopper 2 over Belt Parkway
Chopper 2 FlyingChopper 2 is checking out stories around our area. Watch more local coverage on CBS News New York: http://cbsloc.al/cbsnnewyork
Posted by CBS New York on Monday, June 27, 2022
A good Samaritan jumped in to help before first responders arrived.
"I heard a big collision. I actually helped one lady from the white car over here. I had to pull a little bit away because the car was on fire. And I had to make sure, I made sure she was awake and everything like that. But, it was just very devastating," he said.
Crews were waiting for a tow truck to arrive to clear the crash.