Police in Queens are on the hunt for a hit-and-run driver after a 58-year-old woman was struck and killed Wednesday afternoon on Jamaica Avenue in the heart of Jamaica. Officials say the driver sped off after hitting the woman, who was rushed to Jamaica Hospital and later pronounced dead. The deadly collision happened in the Jamaica Avenue busway, a transit corridor reserved for buses and commercial trucks.
According to ABC7 New York, police said the woman was crossing Jamaica Avenue from north to south around 3 p.m. when a dark-colored sedan hit her. She was taken to Jamaica Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, and authorities say the driver took off instead of staying at the scene. The NYPD told ABC7 New York that the investigation is ongoing.
Where It Happened and How the Busway Works
Police say the crash unfolded in the Jamaica Avenue busway, a corridor the Department of Transportation created to prioritize buses and trucks and boost transit reliability. As detailed by the NYC Department of Transportation, the Jamaica Avenue busway runs through downtown Jamaica and was launched as a pilot to speed up buses and cut down on conflicts with other vehicles. The MTA has also rolled out automated bus-lane enforcement cameras on routes that use Jamaica Avenue, and the authority says those cameras have helped reduce collisions and improve bus travel times, according to the MTA.
Investigation
Authorities described the vehicle involved as a dark-colored sedan and said no arrests had been made as of Wednesday evening. Police told ABC7 New York that the case remains active as investigators work to track down the driver who left the scene.
Legal Consequences
Under New York law, leaving the scene of a crash that results in death can be charged as a class D felony, carrying potential prison time and fines, as set out in Vehicle and Traffic Law §600. That means a driver who flees after fatally striking a pedestrian could face serious criminal charges if identified and prosecuted under state law (VTL §600).
