A 23-year-old woman died early Sunday after she was thrown from the backseat of a car that overturned on the Grand Central Parkway near the Steinway Overpass in Astoria. Police said the driver, a 34-year-old man, was taken into custody at the scene, though no charges had been filed as of publication.
According to PIX11, police responded to the crash around 4:07 a.m. Sunday. Officers said the driver had been heading west in the right lane of the parkway when he swerved into the left lane, striking a barrier and a light pole before the gray Honda Accord flipped over. The 23-year-old woman riding in the rear passenger seat was ejected from the vehicle during the crash, per the New York Daily News, which reported she suffered trauma to the head and body.
Medics rushed her to Elmhurst Hospital, but she did not survive, NBC New York reported. Police have not released her name. No other injuries were reported in the crash, and the NYPD Highway District Collision Investigation Squad is now handling the investigation, the station's report noted.
Driver in Custody, Charges Still Pending
The 34-year-old driver was taken into custody at the scene, according to the same account. Sources familiar with the investigation told amNY that he is believed to have been under the influence and is expected to be charged, though the outlet also reported that formal charges had not yet been filed at the time of its story. Whether that expectation ultimately results in charges, and what they might be, remains unconfirmed.
The Steinway Overpass stretch of the Grand Central Parkway has seen deadly crashes before. In July, two people were killed when a motorcycle collided with an SUV elsewhere on the parkway near the Jackie Robinson Parkway, according to ABC7 New York. Sunday's crash adds another fatality to a roadway that has repeatedly drawn scrutiny from investigators and local drivers alike.
What Investigators Are Still Determining
No additional details on the woman's identity, toxicology findings, or a possible blood-alcohol reading have been made public. The NYPD's Highway District Collision Investigation Squad continues to examine the wreckage and the sequence of events that sent the Accord into the barrier and light pole before it overturned, per the PIX11 report. Police have not said whether additional charges beyond a suspected DWI are being considered as the inquiry continues.
