In Flushing, Queens, New York City, a hit-and-run accident occurred in the early morning of August 20th, resulting in the death of a pedestrian. The police are currently searching for the driver and passengers of a U-Haul rental truck that fled the scene.
The incident took place around 12:30 a.m. on August 20th when a 42-year-old man was driving a Honda Accord south on Kissena Blvd and collided with a U-Haul traveling west on Horace Harding Expressway. One of the vehicles hit a lamppost and a nearby pedestrian, who died on the spot. The driver of the Honda was injured and taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Queens Hospital. The female driver of the U-Haul and another female passenger jumped out of the vehicle and fled west along the expressway. The police are still investigating the cause of the accident and have only released the identity of the victim as 56-year-old David Opiela.
According to a report by PIX11 News, sources revealed that the two women from the U-Haul were fleeing barefoot. One was wearing a green shirt and black pants, while the other wore a red shirt, blue jeans, and socks. If anyone has information, they can call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visit the website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, download the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or text 274637 (CRIMES) and enter TIP577 to report to the police.
Based on data from the NYC Crash Mapper, the number of accidents in Flushing this year has slightly increased compared to the same period last year. From January to July, there have been 440 accidents resulting in 5 fatalities, whereas there were 418 accidents and 2 fatalities during the same period last year.