Pedestrian killed in Queens when crash sends taxi careening onto sidewalk
NEW YORK — One pedestrian was killed and two others were injured in Queens when a crash sent a taxi careening onto a sidewalk.
Police say around 3:15 a.m. Saturday, a Honda Accord and yellow cab collided at the intersection of 115th Avenue and Lefferts Boulevard in South Ozone Park. The taxi mounted the sidewalk, striking three pedestrians standing on the southeast corner of the intersection.
All three pedestrians were taken to Jamaica Hospital. One victim, identified as 51-year-old Vidya Dookran-Franco, died from her injuries.
"Being pinned between a car and a wall, the way it looked ... It did look gruesome," a witness named Gianni said.
Family members, who were too distraught to speak on camera, described Dookran-Franco as loving, kind and someone who always made those around her smile.
The other two victims, two men ages 44 and 49, are reported to be in stable condition.
Both drivers remained on scene while Highway Patrol investigated the incident.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation. Police say there's no criminality suspected at this time.
Deadly South Ozone Park crash has others on edge
Lefferts Boulevard is normally a very busy thoroughfare, and the tragic crash has left pedestrians on edge.
"Trying to get home to their families, their loved ones, their wives, husbands, you know. This is a residential area. It's a little utopia around here. Everybody knows each other," Gianni said.
"I never experienced anything like this happen before," another pedestrian said.
"You hate to see it happen to other people knowing that it could also, God forbid, happen to you," Gianni said.
Dookran-Franco's loved ones say a vigil will be held at the crash site Sunday.
