Queens driver fatally strikes pedestrian while backing from garage
An 83-year-old driver backing from a garage hit and killed 75-year-old Georgiana Belfiore at 73-55 217th Street in Queens on March 15, 2022, according to police accounts and the official crash record.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police accounts said an 83-year-old driver backed out of a garage into a parking area and hit 75-year-old Georgiana Belfiore. QNS reported that she was standing behind the vehicle, while Streetsblog described her as walking in the rear lot. The official record lists driver inattention or distraction as a contributing factor, and QNS reported no arrests while police investigated.
Accounts differ on Belfiore's position before impact.
QNS reported that police said the driver was backing out of a garage into a parking area when he hit Belfiore, who was standing behind the vehicle. The report said she was pinned underneath and pronounced dead at the scene.
Streetsblog's police-attributed account described Belfiore as walking in the rear parking lot before the driver hit her.
The official record and QNS give the time as 3:35 p.m. The Daily News reported about 3:40 p.m., while Streetsblog's opening called it Tuesday night even though its detailed account says about 3:35 p.m.
The crash happened in a rear parking area.
The official record places the crash at 73-55 217th Street in Queens. QNS described a garage opening into a parking area at that address, while Streetsblog described a rear parking lot in a housing complex in Oakland Gardens.
Belfiore lived near the crash site.
QNS identified Georgiana Belfiore as a 75-year-old woman who lived on 220th Street, about a block from the crash. Streetsblog reported that she lived in the same housing complex as the driver.
Reports differ on the vehicle's make.
The official record describes a 2021 sedan. One QNS report calls the vehicle a BMW in its opening, then identifies it later as a 2021 E350 Mercedes-Benz; a separate QNS account also identifies a 2021 E350 Mercedes-Benz. The reports do not consistently identify the make.
Police investigated and no arrest was reported.
The Daily News reported that the driver remained at the scene. QNS reported that no arrests had been made and that the NYPD Highway District's Collision Investigation Squad was investigating; Streetsblog reported that the driver had not been charged.