Driver charged after fatal Rockaway bus stop crash.
Police said Daniel Sails fell asleep while driving west on Rockaway Beach Boulevard and struck Ava Conklin, 19, at a bus stop near Beach 108 Street; the official record dates the crash to June 24, 2023, at 2:16 p.m.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police said Daniel Sails fell asleep while driving west on Rockaway Beach Boulevard, went onto the sidewalk and struck Ava Conklin and three metal benches at a bus stop. QNS reported that Conklin had just finished a shift at the Rockaway Hotel and was waiting for a bus. ABC7 and QNS reported that EMS took her to Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. The official record lists the crash at 2:16 p.m. on June 24, 2023, and records one pedestrian death. The official record classifies the vehicle as a sedan, while ABC7 describes a white SUV; all three articles identify it as a 2021 Hyundai Venue. Sails remained at the scene and was released after questioning, then was arrested and charged with reckless driving in January 2024, QNS reported.
Police said the driver fell asleep before leaving the road.
Police said Sails was driving west on Rockaway Beach Boulevard when he fell asleep, went onto the sidewalk and struck Conklin and three metal benches at the bus stop.
The official record dates the crash to June 24, 2023, at 2:16 p.m., lists one pedestrian killed and no injuries, and records falling asleep as a contributing factor. ABC7 and QNS reported that EMS took Conklin to Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
The bus stop was across from the hotel where Conklin worked.
The crash happened at Rockaway Beach Boulevard and Beach 108 Street in Rockaway Park, Queens, across from the Rockaway Hotel, QNS reported. Conklin had just finished a shift at the hotel and was waiting for a bus.
Ava Conklin was waiting for a bus after work.
QNS reported that Conklin, 19, had just finished a shift at the Rockaway Hotel and was waiting for a bus at the stop.
Reports differ on the vehicle's body style.
The official record classifies the crash vehicle as a sedan. ABC7 describes it as a white SUV; ABC7, QNS and Patch identify it as a 2021 Hyundai Venue. QNS and Patch identify Sails as the driver.
A charge followed months of investigation.
ABC7, QNS and Patch reported that Sails remained at the scene, was taken into custody for questioning and was released. QNS reported that police arrested him again on January 16, 2024, and charged him with reckless driving after a months-long investigation.