Driver in fatal car accident arrested

A woman was killed in a Harlem car accident when the vehicle in which she was riding was hit by an unlicensed driver. The accident occurred at Broadway and West 135^th Street around 2 PM last Wednesday. The 46 year old woman was the front passenger in a Ford Focus trying to make a left turn onto West 135^th Street. The vehicle was hit by a van driven by an unlicensed Brooklyn driver. Both vehicles ran onto the sidewalk.

Police arrested the 36-year-old driver of the 2009 van, charging him with aggravated unlicensed operation and with operating a motor vehicle without a license.

The passenger was taken to St. Luke’s-Roosevelt hospital, where she was pronounced dead. A pedestrian on the sidewalk was injured in the incident, as were the driver of the Focus and two children in car seats in the rear. They were hospitalized at St. Lukes. Their injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.

The unlicensed driver of the van suffered only minor injuries. Police do not expect him to be charged in connection with the accident, but only with the licensing violations.

Passersby attempted to move the car after it mounted the sidewalk to release the passengers, who were pinned inside. The vehicle smashed into a pharmacy, shattering glass. No one inside the store was injured.

Source: DNAinfo.com, “Brooklyn Motorist Arrested After Wild Crash in Harlem,” Feb. 7, 2013.