Driver dies in Cross Bay Boulevard pole crash.
Melvin Garcia, 27, died after he hit a wooden light pole on Cross Bay Boulevard, QNS reported; the official record places the crash at East 1 Road at 9:22 p.m. on Dec. 10, 2023.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Melvin Garcia, 27, was identified by QNS as the driver in a crash that killed one person at Cross Bay Boulevard and East 1 Road at 9:22 p.m. on Dec. 10, 2023, according to the official record. QNS reported he was driving north in a red Toyota Corolla when he hit a wooden light pole and was ejected. Police told QNS that EMS pronounced him dead at the scene. ABC7 also reported a driver hit a light pole but placed the fatality at North Channel Bridge, while the official record identifies the intersection as East 1 Road.
What police said happened
QNS reported that a preliminary NYPD investigation found Garcia was driving north on Cross Bay Boulevard when he hit a wooden light pole near East 1st Road. The report said he was ejected and struck the roadway, and described the collision as involving one vehicle.
QNS reported officers responded around 9:20 p.m. and that police said EMS pronounced Garcia dead at the scene. The official record gives the crash time as 9:22 p.m. and records one person killed and no injuries.
Garcia was from Far Rockaway
Police identified the driver as Melvin Garcia, 27, of Far Rockaway, QNS reported.
QNS identified the car as a Toyota Corolla
QNS reported Garcia was driving a red Toyota Corolla. The official vehicle record classifies the sedan as a 1993 model.
Accounts gave different location descriptions
The official record places the crash at Cross Bay Boulevard and East 1 Road in Queens. QNS placed the pole in front of the Callahead depot at East 1st Road in Broad Channel, near the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. ABC7 said the driver was killed at North Channel Bridge.
The official record lists contributing factors
The official crash record lists unsafe speed as a contributing factor and alcohol involvement in its vehicle-level record. QNS said the police investigation remained ongoing.