A driver lost control in a fatal Cross Island Parkway crash.
A woman driving north on the Cross Island Parkway reportedly fell asleep and lost control near Hempstead Avenue, QNS reported; the official record logs the May 21, 2022, crash at 2:23 a.m., with one person killed and two injured.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police told QNS and the New York Post that a woman driving north on the Cross Island Parkway fell asleep and lost control near Hempstead Avenue. QNS reported that after she lost control, the vehicle went off the road and up an embankment into a tree. The official record logs the crash at 2:23 a.m. on May 21, 2022, with one person killed and two injured, and identifies the person killed as a 39-year-old male front-seat passenger. QNS also reported that the front-seat passenger died, while the Post said the driver died; the accounts differ over who died. The official record lists alcohol involvement, while the articles attribute the loss of control to the driver falling asleep and do not report an alcohol finding.
Police said the driver lost control.
Both outlets reported that police attributed the crash to the woman driving north falling asleep and losing control. QNS added that the vehicle went off the road and up an embankment into a tree; the New York Post placed the crash at Hempstead Avenue.
The crash happened near Hempstead Avenue.
The official record places the crash on the Cross Island Parkway. QNS reported that the driver was traveling north near Hempstead Avenue, within the 105th Precinct in Queens.
Reports conflict over who died.
The official record identifies the person killed as a 39-year-old man in the front passenger seat. QNS also reported that the front-seat passenger died at the scene, but the New York Post reported that the driver died there; the accounts differ over who died.
QNS reported that the driver, described as 41, suffered fractured ribs and was taken to Manhasset Hospital in critical but stable condition. It said a 17-year-old rear-seat passenger suffered a broken ankle and was in stable condition at LIJ Cohen Children’s Hospital. The New York Post instead reported that two passengers were taken to North Shore University Hospital in critical condition.
Reports identify a Mazda sedan.
The official record lists a northbound 2007 sedan with three occupants. QNS described it as a blue 2007 Mazda 3 sedan, while the New York Post called it a Mazda.
Police reports and the official record differ.
The official record lists alcohol involvement as a contributing factor. Both outlets reported that police attributed the driver’s loss of control to falling asleep. QNS said a police spokesperson could not explain why she fell asleep; neither article reported an alcohol finding.
The investigation remained open.
QNS reported that the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad was investigating and that no arrests had been made at the time of publication. The New York Post also reported that the investigation was ongoing.