Queens rider dies after scooter fall on Queens Boulevard
Always Ready to Play
Derrick Cristobal, 31, fell from an electric scooter near Queens Boulevard and 73rd Street at 4:22 p.m. on Dec. 19 while on his way to pick up his daughter, and died 11 days later.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Derrick Cristobal, 31, was riding an electric scooter east on the Queens Boulevard service road near 73rd Street on Dec. 19, 2023, when he fell and suffered a head injury, according to QNS. He was on his way to pick up his two-year-old daughter, Elizabeth. Responders found him conscious, but his condition worsened after he reached Elmhurst Hospital, and he died Dec. 30. Cristobal worked at Target, and his partner, Vanessa Balondo, remembered his devotion to their daughter.
The fall
At 4:22 p.m. on Dec. 19, 2023, Derrick Cristobal was riding east on the Queens Boulevard service road when he fell near 73rd Street. QNS reported that NYPD investigators described a loss of control before the fall; Cristobal struck his head on the pavement.
QNS described his ride as an electric stand-on scooter, while MEAWW identified the model as a VSett 9+.
Queens Boulevard at 73rd Street
The city crash record places the incident at Queens Boulevard and 73rd Street. QNS located the fall on the boulevard's service road, where Cristobal had been traveling east.
A father on his way to day care
Cristobal was on his way to pick up his two-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, from day care. The New York Post reported that he worked at Target.
His longtime partner, Vanessa Balondo, spoke of his devotion to Elizabeth. Balondo said they had planned to have another child so their daughter would have a sibling.
Eleven days in the hospital
Police found Cristobal conscious and alert. Emergency responders took him to Elmhurst Hospital, where QNS reported that his condition worsened after an initially stable assessment. He died of his head injuries on Dec. 30.
QNS reported that police had made no arrests and that the NYPD Highway District's Collision Investigation Squad was continuing its investigation.