Driver loses control in Glen Oaks crash that kills pedestrian and injures four.
A 39-year-old driver lost control of a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder on 73rd Avenue near 260th Street in Glen Oaks at 3:53 p.m. on Sept. 5, 2023, killing 67-year-old pedestrian Sam Amorese and injuring four people, according to press reports and the city crash record.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
The Daily News reported that the eastbound driver of a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder lost control near 260th Street and apparently hit a parked Honda. Accounts differed on where Amorese was pinned and whether he was unloading groceries or helping his grandchildren out of the Honda. The city record lists driver inattention or distraction; CBS separately reported that detectives determined the driver lost consciousness.
Reports differ on the sequence and where Amorese was pinned
The Daily News reported that a 39-year-old driver headed east in a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder lost control near 260th Street and apparently hit a parked Honda. It said Amorese was pinned between the Honda's rear and a parked Lexus behind it.
Accounts differed on Amorese's position after impact: CBS quoted witnesses placing him between the Honda and another car, while El Diario, citing police, said he was pinned between the Honda and the Nissan. Reports also differed on what Amorese was doing before impact: the Daily News and El Diario said he was unloading groceries; CBS said police described him and his wife getting their grandchildren out of the Honda. ABC7 described the car where Amorese was unloading groceries as white, while the Daily News and CBS identified it as a white Honda SUV.
Reports identify Amorese and describe the injured family differently
ABC7 identified the 67-year-old pedestrian as Sam Amorese, a Floral Park resident. CBS and the Daily News described the injured 65-year-old woman as Amorese's wife and the children, ages 1 and 5, as his grandchildren; ABC7 described the woman as the children's mother.
Reports gave differing descriptions of the injuries. The Daily News reported leg injuries to the woman and infant and scratches to the 5-year-old, and said the infant was in serious but stable condition. ABC7 reported that the children were stable and the woman was in serious but stable condition. CBS described all three as critically injured with severe leg trauma.
Neighbors said speeding was a longstanding concern on the street
The crash happened on 73rd Avenue near 260th Street in Glen Oaks, Queens. Neighbors told CBS that speeding was a longstanding concern on the street and its curve; their comments do not establish the driver's speed in this crash.
The record and detectives offered separate findings
The city crash record lists driver inattention or distraction as a contributing factor. CBS separately reported that detectives determined the driver lost consciousness while driving.
The driver remained at the scene as the investigation continued
The Daily News and ABC7 reported that the driver remained at the scene. The Daily News said he was later taken to a hospital with chest pains and that the NYPD Collision Investigation Squad was investigating. The Daily News reported no arrests had been made; ABC7 said no charges had been filed as of its Sept. 5 report.