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Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A 75-year-old man from Borough Park, Brooklyn, was killed in a single-vehicle crash on the Long Island Expressway in Woodside on Sunday, March 29, according to the NYPD. The driver was operating a 2026 Subaru Forester eastbound on the LIE when he lost control of his vehicle and struck a concrete median barrier.
The fatal collision occurred in the vicinity of 58th Street as the SUV traveled past Calvary Cemetery, police said. According to authorities, the 75-year-old driver failed to navigate the roadway properly as he was approaching the Maurice Avenue exit for Maspeth. The impact with the concrete median left the driver trapped in the wreckage of his vehicle.
Officers from the NYPD’s 108th Precinct responded to the crash scene and found the elderly driver critically injured inside the mangled Subaru Forester. Emergency Medical Services personnel immediately rushed him to Elmhurst Hospital for treatment of his injuries sustained in the collision.
Despite the efforts of medical staff at Elmhurst Hospital, the driver was pronounced dead a short while after arriving at the facility, police confirmed. The severity of the injuries he sustained when his SUV struck the concrete median barrier proved fatal.
The crash investigation has been taken over by the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad, which specializes in serious traffic accidents. Their investigation into the circumstances that led to the fatal loss of control remains ongoing, according to police. The squad will examine factors including vehicle condition, road conditions, and any potential medical episodes that may have contributed to the crash.
No other vehicles were involved in the collision on the busy expressway. The single-vehicle nature of the crash suggests that mechanical failure, driver error, or a medical emergency may have caused the driver to veer into the concrete median as he approached the Maspeth exit.
Location & Road Context
The fatal crash occurred on a stretch of the Long Island Expressway that runs through Woodside, Queens, in the vicinity of 58th Street near Calvary Cemetery. This section of the LIE carries heavy traffic volumes as drivers navigate toward the Maurice Avenue exit that provides access to Maspeth. The concrete median barriers in this area are designed to separate opposing traffic lanes but can prove deadly when struck at highway speeds.
According to Long Island Traffic database records, this roadway has accumulated 300 recorded incidents over time. Recent incidents on I-495 have included multiple construction zones, roadwork projects, crashes, and disabled vehicles that have impacted traffic flow in the area. The frequency of incidents on this stretch highlights the challenging driving conditions that motorists face on this heavily traveled expressway.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
The NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad has assumed responsibility for determining the exact cause of the fatal crash. As a specialized unit, the squad conducts thorough investigations into serious traffic accidents, examining evidence including vehicle debris, skid marks, and mechanical components to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the collision.
The investigation will likely focus on determining why the 2026 Subaru Forester veered from the travel lane into the concrete median barrier. Investigators will examine whether mechanical failure, road conditions, or a medical emergency contributed to the loss of vehicle control that proved fatal for the 75-year-old Brooklyn resident.
Broader Impact
The death represents another tragic reminder of the dangers posed by concrete median barriers on high-speed expressways, particularly for elderly drivers who may experience sudden medical episodes while behind the wheel. At 75 years old, the driver belonged to a demographic that faces increased risks while driving due to potential age-related health conditions that can cause sudden incapacitation, though the investigation has not yet determined whether a medical emergency contributed to this specific crash.