Driver charged after fatal Cross Island Parkway crash
Makeda McDonald allegedly drove at 123 mph before a 3:15 a.m. crash on the Cross Island Parkway on April 8, 2022, that killed her cousin Moesha McLaughlin and injured two motorists.
Approximate reported location.
What We Know
Prosecutors say Makeda McDonald drove a 2017 Mercedes GLA at about 123 mph in a rainstorm as she approached a split in the Cross Island Parkway. She entered a grass median and hit a guardrail. The sedan went airborne, rolled several times and came to rest on its roof. Her cousin Moesha McLaughlin, 24, died after being taken to a hospital. McDonald's aunt Nyasha Turnbull, 32, suffered serious injuries. McDonald was later arraigned on criminally negligent homicide, reckless driving and two speeding-related charges. The charges are allegations.
A high-speed crash in a rainstorm
Prosecutors say McDonald was driving a black 2017 Mercedes GLA southbound during a rainstorm at approximately 123 mph, where the speed limit was 50 mph. As she approached a highway split, she entered a grass median and hit a guardrail. The sedan went airborne, rolled several times, made contact with an overhead light pole and sign gantry, and came to rest on its roof.
At a split in the Cross Island Parkway
The crash occurred on the southbound Cross Island Parkway in Queens, near ramps for the eastbound Southern State Parkway and westbound Belt Parkway. The split matters because prosecutors say McDonald drove onto the grass median between those ramps before hitting a guardrail.
Three family members in the sedan
Moesha McLaughlin, 24, of Rosedale, was McDonald's cousin and a backseat passenger. Responders extracted her from the wreckage and took her to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
McDonald's aunt, Nyasha Turnbull, 32, also of Rosedale, suffered injuries to her lung, liver, arm, shoulder and pelvis. The official crash record counts two injured motorists in addition to McLaughlin's death; early reporting said the driver was among those taken to a hospital.
The charges against the driver
McDonald later turned herself in and was arraigned on an indictment charging criminally negligent homicide, reckless driving and two speeding-related offenses. Prosecutors said she faced up to four years in prison if convicted. The indictment is an accusation, not a finding of guilt.