Driver Charged After Bellerose Pedestrian Dies
Police recorded a fatal failure-to-yield crash at Jericho Turnpike and 91st Avenue, and later charged Benjamin Jean-Baptiste after Jose Jimenez, 78, died from his injuries.
What We Know
According to the police report, a licensed male driver in a Dodge pickup was making a left turn on Jericho Turnpike near 91st Avenue in Queens when he hit a 78-year-old man who was crossing with the signal. Police recorded failure to yield right-of-way by the driver. The report states the pedestrian suffered a fatal head injury with severe bleeding and died at the scene on the arterial road.
A left turn at Jericho Turnpike
The crash happened on Dec. 14, 2024, around 6:41 p.m. at Jericho Turnpike and 91st Avenue in Bellerose. The official record lists one pedestrian killed, one motorist injured, a pick-up truck, and failure to yield as a contributing factor.
A Bellerose crossing on a heavily traveled corridor
The crash location was Jericho Turnpike and 91st Avenue in Queens. CrashCountNYC’s location review identifies 91st Avenue in Queens as a corridor with 417 crashes, 198 injuries, six serious injuries and two deaths since 2022.
Jose Jimenez died after days in the hospital
Jimenez was 78. amNY reported that EMS brought him to North Shore Manhasset Hospital in stable condition with head injuries that police sources initially described as not life-threatening. The Daily News reported that he suffered a massive head injury and was taken to North Shore University Hospital.
The accounts agree that Jimenez died after the crash but differ on timing: amNY reported that he died five days later, on Dec. 19, while the Daily News reported that he died a week after the crash.