Man arrested in New York after fatal car accident

A 23-year-old Queens man is in custody following a hit-and-run accident that resulted in the death of a 47-year-old cab driver and injuries to his 20-year-old female passenger, according to local sources. New York police have placed the man under arrest for his role in the car accident. He was set to be arraigned on April 24. 

According to the accident report, the 23-year-old man is believed to have been traveling at a high rate of speed in the early morning hours of April 23 when he lost control of his vehicle. His car smashed into a taxi in Franklin Square with enough force to shove the other vehicle across two full lanes of traffic. The man then fled the scene at high speed. 

The cab driver was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. His passenger escaped with a fractured foot and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Approximately an hour after the accident, the other man was located on Hempstead Turnpike, where he was arrested. He now stands charged with vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. 

Should the man be found guilty he could face serious jail time. In addition, New York law allows the family of the deceased cab driver and the injured passenger to file wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits against him. Even if he is not convicted for his role in the car accident, a civil lawsuit could still be won if enough evidence of his involvement in the crash is gathered and presented in civil court. 

Source: New York Daily News, “Queens man, 23, arrested after fatal hit-run crash in Long Island“, Thomas Tracy, April 23, 2016