Allegedly drunk driver charged after tow operator dies on LIE
A 47-year-old roadway worker was killed and five people were injured on the Long Island Expressway about 3:28 a.m.; police told the Daily News an allegedly drunk Dodge Durango driver caused the crash as Carlos Santiago helped a disabled driver near Exit 19.
What We Know
Police said Carlos Santiago, a Knights Towing operator and father of three from Howard Beach, had stopped on the Manhattan-bound Long Island Expressway near Exit 19 in Elmhurst to help a 27-year-old driver with a disabled Nissan sedan when a crash occurred at about 3:30 a.m. The city crash record recorded one pedestrian killed and five people injured, and listed alcohol involvement as a contributing factor. The Daily News reported that the allegedly drunk driver of a Dodge Durango was arrested on vehicular manslaughter charges, and identified Denzel Porter as the person accused at arraignment of causing Santiago's death.
A tow operator was working beside a disabled driver
The Daily News reported that Carlos Santiago, who worked for Knights Towing, went to the Manhattan-bound Long Island Expressway near Exit 19 in Elmhurst to help a 27-year-old man with a disabled Nissan sedan. Police said the crash happened about 3:30 a.m.; the city crash record lists the time as 3:28 a.m.
The official record describes the person killed as a 47-year-old male pedestrian working in the roadway and records five additional injuries, including four motorists and one pedestrian.
The crash happened on the Long Island Expressway in Elmhurst
The official record places the crash on the Long Island Expressway. The Daily News reported it was on the Manhattan-bound side near Exit 19 in Elmhurst, where Santiago had responded to a disabled Nissan sedan.
Carlos Santiago was remembered by family and coworkers
The Daily News identified the man who died as Carlos Santiago, a Howard Beach father of three and Knights Towing employee. The article reported that coworkers, friends and family members gathered after his death, including at Queens Criminal Court and at a vigil outside Knights Towing in Bushwick.
Records and press accounts describe the roadside crash differently
The city crash record lists two westbound SUVs, a parked Nissan sedan and a parked Dodge diesel tractor truck. It identifies the westbound 2017 Dodge SUV as the entry with alcohol involvement and following too closely.
The Daily News described a crash involving two moving vehicles and a stalled car that Santiago was trying to hitch to the back of his rig. The article described the allegedly drunk driver as operating a Dodge Durango.
Alcohol was central to the reported case
The official crash record lists alcohol involvement as a contributing factor. The Daily News reported that police arrested the allegedly drunk Dodge Durango driver on vehicular manslaughter charges.
The Daily News identified Denzel Porter as appearing at arraignment in Queens Criminal Court and as the person accused of causing Santiago's death.