DOT Driver Charged After Woman Killed in Queens Right Turn
The official crash record says a truck driver making a right turn at Metropolitan Avenue and Lefferts Boulevard hit 31-year-old pedestrian Nilufar Komilova as she crossed with the signal; the Daily News later reported that DOT worker Jonathan Adorno was arrested and charged.
What We Know
Official crash records say a licensed male driver in a dump truck was making a right turn at Metropolitan Avenue and Lefferts Boulevard in Queens just after 9 a.m. on March 10, 2026, when he killed a 31-year-old pedestrian crossing with the signal. News reports identified the pedestrian as Nilufar Komilova and described the truck as a city Department of Transportation dump truck. Official crash records cite driver inattention or distraction, and police later charged DOT worker Jonathan Adorno with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care, according to the Daily News.
A right turn at Lefferts Boulevard
The crash happened on March 10, 2026, at about 9:07 a.m. at Metropolitan Avenue and Lefferts Boulevard in Queens. The official record says the driver was making a right turn in a dump truck when the pedestrian was hit at the intersection.
News reports said the driver was operating a yellow city Department of Transportation Mack dump truck and was turning from Metropolitan Avenue onto Lefferts Boulevard. Police said Nilufar Komilova died at the scene.
Nilufar Komilova had just left her daughter’s school
The Daily News identified the pedestrian as Nilufar Komilova, 31, a Queens mother of two. A close family friend, Akobir Azizov, told the paper that she had just dropped her daughter off at Public School 99 and was walking home when she was hit two blocks from her apartment.
Azizov said Komilova’s children were asking for their mother the night after the crash. He described the family as trying to comfort Komilova’s husband, who had been searching for her after she did not respond to calls.
The truck record points to the right-front bumper
The official vehicle record lists a 2017 Mack truck with one licensed male driver and says the truck’s right-front bumper was the point of impact. News reports described the truck as a yellow city Department of Transportation dump truck.
The official crash record says Komilova was crossing with the signal at the intersection. The same record lists driver inattention or distraction as a contributing factor.
Police later charged the DOT worker
Initial reports said the driver remained at the scene and was not immediately charged. On April 28, 2026, the Daily News reported that police arrested DOT worker Jonathan Adorno, 49, in connection with the crash.
Lefferts Boulevard has seen repeated harm
The crash happened at Metropolitan Avenue and Lefferts Boulevard in Kew Gardens, Queens, where Komilova was crossing at the intersection.
CrashCountNYC’s location context for Lefferts Boulevard in Queens shows 709 crashes, 532 injuries, 26 serious injuries and 4 deaths since 2022.
DOT said it was reviewing the crash
After the crash, DOT spokesperson Mona Bruno said the agency was deeply saddened and that the circumstances were under investigation. She said the agency would look at whether additional steps could prevent future crashes.
After the arrest, DOT spokesman Vincent Barone told the Daily News that safety was central to the agency’s mission and that DOT was cooperating with law enforcement while conducting an internal review.