Driver Kills Child on Beach Channel Drive
A permit-holding SUV driver drove into a 10-year-old girl standing off Beach Channel Drive in Queens. Police recorded driver inexperience. The girl died from crush injuries. Another pedestrian was left with a fractured leg.
What We Know
Davina Afokoba, 10, was killed on Feb. 9, 2022, on Beach Channel Drive in Far Rockaway. City crash data recorded one pedestrian killed, one pedestrian injured and one motorist injured. News reports said a woman driving a Mazda SUV lost control, jumped a curb and crashed into a car wash, pinning Davina against the building and injuring another woman. The official vehicle record listed the driver's license status as permit and cited driver inexperience as a contributing factor. Police had made no arrest as of the published reports.
A curb jump ended at a car wash
The crash happened at about 4:13 p.m. on Feb. 9, 2022, on Beach Channel Drive. News reports said the woman driving a Mazda SUV failed to negotiate a turn, jumped the curb and crashed into a car wash, hitting two pedestrians.
City crash data recorded one pedestrian killed, one pedestrian injured and one motorist injured. The fatal pedestrian record described Davina as a pedestrian who was not in the roadway and not at an intersection.
Davina Afokoba died near her home
AMNY identified the child as Davina Afokoba and reported that she died a block from her home. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.
The official record and article text identify Davina as 10 years old; the New York Post headline described her as 11.
Another pedestrian and the driver survived
Reports said another woman walking nearby was taken to Jamaica Hospital and was expected to survive. AMNY also reported that the driver was taken to the same hospital in stable condition.
The Post reported that the woman and the girl were not together. AMNY reported that police did not know whether the girl was related to the other pedestrian.
The official record lists a permit driver in a Mazda SUV
The official vehicle record describes the driver as heading east and going straight ahead in a 2009 Mazda SUV before front-end impact. The driver's license status was listed as permit.
The Post reported that the driver had a learner's permit. AMNY reported that a police spokeswoman could not confirm that detail at the time, though the official record later listed permit status.
Driver inexperience was cited
City crash data listed driver inexperience as a contributing factor. News reports described the driver losing control before the curb jump and impact at the car wash.
Police had filed no charges as of the initial reports, and AMNY reported that the case remained under investigation.
The crash was on Beach Channel Drive in Far Rockaway
The official record placed the crash on Beach Channel Drive in Queens. News reports located it in front of 13-28 Beach Channel Drive, between Dix and Mott avenues, in Far Rockaway.
AMNY reported that the one-block stretch had seen 31 serious crashes since 2011, injuring 38 people and killing one, citing NYC Crash Mapper data.