Driver's reported turn from Queens lot preceded pedestrian's death.
He Always Went Out
A 52-year-old driver, whom police accounts described as turning left out of a Queens restaurant lot, struck 88-year-old Thomas Soong near Northern Boulevard and 147th Street on March 11, 2022; the official record logs the crash at 9:25 p.m. and records one pedestrian killed.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police accounts reported by local outlets said a 52-year-old driver turned left from a restaurant parking lot and struck Soong; the official record instead lists the driver's pre-crash movement as straight ahead and eastbound. Reports say Soong was hospitalized with head injuries and died March 14. The driver stayed at the scene, and reports said there was no arrest or charge while police investigated.
The reported turn differs from the official movement entry.
The Daily News and QNS reported that a 52-year-old driver turned left out of a restaurant parking lot and struck Soong. The official record instead lists the driver's pre-crash movement as straight ahead and eastbound. The outlets placed the crash around 9:20 p.m.; the official record gives 9:25 p.m.
The Daily News and QNS identified the car as a 2018 Honda Fit, while the official record classifies the vehicle as a 2018 Honda sedan.
Reports say Soong suffered head injuries, was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Queens and died on March 14. The Daily News gave the time as about 6 p.m.; QNS described it as Monday afternoon.
The block has multiple parking-lot exits and no marked midblock crossing.
amNewYork placed the crash between 146th and 147th streets on a six-lane stretch of Northern Boulevard. The outlet reported that there is no marked crossing between the intersections and that three parking lots along the block have entrances and exits across the sidewalk.
Citing NYC Crash Mapper, amNewYork reported 68 previous crashes on the 343-foot stretch since August 2011, injuring 80 people. Six crashes near the same parking-lot exit injured seven people, including six pedestrians. It also reported that Soong was the third pedestrian to die on the stretch during that period.
A neighbor remembered his daily outings.
Thomas Soong, 88, lived a few blocks from the crash, according to the Daily News. Marta Gonzalez, his neighbor for 18 years, remembered that he walked and swam at the YMCA.
“He was a healthy person. He went out every day, especially in the summer,” Gonzalez told the Daily News.
The driver stayed at the scene as police investigated.
The Daily News reported that the driver remained at the scene and had not been charged as of its March 20 report. QNS and Streetsblog reported that no arrest had been made and that the investigation was ongoing. Streetsblog also reported that police described the turn as illegal.