Driver arrested five months after fatal hit-and-run of 78-year-old man in Queens.
A driver has been apprehended five months after fatally striking a 78-year-old pedestrian at a busy intersection in Queens. The incident occurred on December 14, 2022, at the intersection of Jericho Turnpike and 91st Avenue in Bellerose. The New York Police Department (NYPD) reported that the driver, identified as Benjamin Jean-Baptiste, remained at the scene of the accident immediately following the collision.
On Tuesday, law enforcement officials announced that Jean-Baptiste had been charged with two misdemeanors: failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care. According to police records, Jean-Baptiste was operating a 2010 Dodge Ram pickup truck when he made a left turn from 91st Avenue onto Jericho Turnpike at approximately 6:40 p.m. At that moment, Jose Jimenez, the victim, was attempting to cross the busy road. The collision resulted in Jimenez sustaining severe head injuries.
Emergency medical responders rushed Jimenez to North Shore University Hospital. Despite medical interventions, Jimenez succumbed to his injuries one week after the accident. Residents noted that Jimenez lived just a few blocks away from both the site of the collision and Jean-Baptiste’s residence, highlighting the immediate tragedy that affected the local community.
The NYPD’s Traffic Division has stressed the importance of pedestrian safety, particularly in high-traffic areas. The charges against Jean-Baptiste underscore a rising concern about pedestrian injuries and fatalities in urban settings, a topic that continues to receive attention from city officials and advocacy groups.
Jean-Baptiste received a desk appearance ticket following the incident and is scheduled to respond to the charges in court in the coming weeks. The community awaits further developments in the case, as many residents hope for more stringent measures to ensure pedestrian safety at this intersection and others like it across New York City. As the legal proceedings unfold, the tragic loss of Jose Jimenez serves as a sobering reminder of the importance of shared responsibility on the roads.
This incident highlights the ongoing challenges of managing pedestrian safety in densely populated urban areas and the necessity for both drivers and pedestrians to remain vigilant. For more updates on this developing story, stay tuned to Media News Source.
