Aug. 27, 2023 By Ben Brachfeld
A Queens teenager was fatally struck by an SUV driver early Saturday morning while attempting to cross the Long Island Expressway on foot.
Carlos Criollo, 18, of Rego Park, was found with traumatic injuries on the eastbound L.I.E. a little after 3:20 a.m. Saturday, police said. He was taken to New York Presbyterian Queens Hospital in Flushing, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators say that the teen was trying to cross the highway from north to south near 98th Street in Corona, about a mile from his home. In that area, there there is no pedestrian crossing and the speed limit is 55 miles per hour.
He was apparently able to get across the four-lane highway’s westbound roadway, but on the eastbound side he was fatally struck by the driver of a Lexus SUV. The driver remained on scene and has not been charged.
The incident occurred about 1,000 feet from where a 79-year-old woman was fatally struck by a van driver in 2014.
As of Aug. 20, 152 people have died in traffic collisions on city streets in 2023, an 8% decrease from the same time last year, according to NYPD data. Every borough has seen a decline in traffic deaths this year except Queens, where 56 people have died, representing a 40% jump from last year.
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