A 63-year-old man died earlier in January after his SUV crashed into a detached garage in New York City, hitting a parked car and causing the structure to collapse onto both vehicles.
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Around 5:20 a.m. on Jan. 21, the driver of a Toyota RAV4 was traveling east on 90th Avenue in Jamaica, Queens when they lost control at 143rd Street, according to police via the New York Daily News. The vehicle jumped a curb, plowed through a driveway at the intersection, and continued until crashing into a garage, where an unoccupied Toyota Prius was parked. The driver’s identity has not been released.
The collision caused the garage to collapse onto both vehicles, trapping the driver of the RAV4, according to police.
At 5:21 a.m., officers from the 103rd Precinct in Jamaica responded to a 911 call reporting a vehicle at the scene, per local outlet QNS. Upon arrival, they discovered a man injured inside the vehicle, buried under debris. The FDNY arrived shortly after, dispatching units at 5:40 a.m., and first responders worked diligently to free him from the wreckage.
He was transported by EMS to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in critical condition. However, he was pronounced dead shortly after, authorities confirmed. Police stated that no arrests have been made, and the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad is continuing its investigation.
An Eyewitness Recounts SUV Crashing Into and Collapsing New York City Garage
Eddie Campbell, the garage owner, spoke to the Daily News about the incident.
“He took down two garages and part of a third,” Campbell told the outlet.
“My father’s Toyota Prius is buried” in the wreckage, he added. “Once I realized there was a car in there, I called 911.”
Campbell, who also owns a second garage damaged in the crash, stated that the driver of the Toyota RAV4 was “unconscious” when pulled from the vehicle.
“His airbags deployed so he must have been wearing his seat belt,” Campbell recalled. “They performed CPR right away and took him to Jamaica Hospital. I was going to take down the garages anyway but fate decided to do it faster. It’s terrible that the guy had to die.”
The city’s Department of Buildings (DOB) later responded to the scene. They determined that a detached garage had collapsed due to a vehicle collision. The impact also caused partial structural failure to a neighboring two-car garage at 89-23 143rd Street. To ensure public safety, DOB inspectors issued a full vacate order for the garage at 89-25 143rd Street. They also ordered a partial vacate for the right side of the garage at 89-23 143rd Street.