Thursday, August 7, 2008

Three Killed in Traffic Accidents

Teen Charged in Forest Hills Wreck, Man Killed on LIE in Maspeth

by Conor Greene

In a deadly 24-hour period for Queens drivers, fatal accidents in Forest Hills and Maspeth claimed three lives in two separate incidents. An unlicensed teenage driver who admitted he was high on marijuana has been arrested in connection with one of the wrecks.

Teen Runs Red Light on Service Road

The carnage began Tuesday morning, when a 17-year-old Forest Hills resident sped through a red light along the Grand Central Parkway service road and slammed into another car, instantly killing a married couple, according to police.

Jacob Chubashvili, 17, slowed as he was approaching the red 5:40 a.m. He then stepped on the gas of the Mercedes-Benz he was driving and swerved around an SUV stopped at the light before colliding with a 2004 Acura. Police said he was going 60 miles per hour in a 30 mile per hour zone and later admitted to having smoked marijuana before getting behind the wheel. The collision pushed the Acura into a light pole, which split apart the car.

A Kew Gardens couple, Ki Kim, 55, and his wife, Hyekyung Kim, 53, were killed instantly. Later that day, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown announced that Chubashvili has been charged with two counts of manslaughter, unauthorized use of a vehicle, driving without a license, speeding and running a red light.

The teen provided police with a blood sample at the accident scene before being taken to a local hospital with neck and back pain, and the charges could be upgraded based on the results of the blood test. Chubashvili, of 108-50 62nd Drive, has a previous arrest record for robbery and fare evasion, according to reports. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the charges stemming from Tuesday’s accident.

Hyekyung Kim was a supervisor at the city Administration for Children’s Services and the couple was on their way to work at the time of the wreck, according to reports. “This case will be vigorously prosecuted and should serve as a warning to those who would flout our traffic regulations and put others in danger,” said Brown in a statement.

Minor Fender Bender Leads to Fatal Accident

Less than 24 hours later, a 61-year-old man who exited his car following a minor accident on the Long Island Expressway was struck and killed by a tractor trailer, according to police.

The man, whose name has been withheld pending notification of his family, got in a minor fender bender involving several vehicles at about 3 a.m. near the 69th Street exit in Maspeth, said police. After exchanging information with the other driver, the man pulled into traffic in front of a tractor-trailer, which was unable to stop before slamming into the car.

As of Wednesday morning, police were attempting to reach the man’s next of kin, who they say live in the area. Reports that an ambulance carrying two EMS workers was also involved in the accident were not able to be immediately confirmed.

Note: The online version of this story has been updated.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I just want to add an interesting event that could help shed some light on how to look at this. A few years ago, in Lakewood NJ, a Jewish man was killed by a police officer driving 80 MPH down a road in the middle of the night. (The officer was off-duty but was an active police officer.) Ironically, the man was from Queens. He had been by a wedding there and as he walked out of the ballroom to hid car, he was hit in the intersection of Clifton Ave. & Courtney Rd. He died a few hours later. Now regarding what was subsequently done, as far I know from what we heard, they DID NOT GIVE HIM A BREATHELIZER TEST AND CERTAINLY NOT A BLOOD TEST AS THEY DID WITH THE BOY ABOVE (as was mentioned in the article). THEREFOER IF WHEN A US LAW ENFORCER DOES A WORSE CRIME HE WAS NOT EVEN PUNISHED, WHAT CAN BE EXPECTED FROM A LEGAL MINOR? I REMEMBER THEY WERE SAYING THAT MAYBE THEY WILL ‘ONLY GIVE DESK DUTY’ - WHAT A PUNISHEMENT - BUT I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF WAS FIRED!!!!!!!! HEAVEN FORBID! SO WE HAVE A VERY INTERESTING STORY HERE. THEREFORE ANYONE WHO HEARD OF THAT STORY AND DID NOT DO ANYTHING TO HAVE THAT COP IMRISONED MUST NOW THINK; ‘IS THIS LEGAL MINOR TO BE WORSE OFF FOR A SMALLER SITUATION? OTHERWISE IT IS A ‘MATHEMATICAL’ CONTRADICTION Some deep thinking must be done. I know that this Jewish boys’ community is involved in trying to get him into a Jewish school - ‘yeshiva’ (I know this for a fact). I think he is from Russia – an immigrant. So with people’s best help, goodness will be brought to all those who need it! Thank you!