Driver Kills 2, Injures 7 in Grand Central Parkway Crash
A motorist is facing multiple felony charges following a crash that killed two and injured seven others in Queens over the weekend.
About the Fatal Queens Car Crash
According to NBC New York, the crash occurred Sunday morning when a BMW SUV sideswiped a car in the westbound lanes of Grand Central Parkway. The BMW then crossed three lanes of traffic where it hit another SUV. Both SUVs crashed into a guardrail, then the BMW veered into eastbound lanes of the highway, hit a third SUV, and rolled over.
A fourth vehicle swerved to avoid the chaotic scene, but lost control, went up an embankment, and struck two trees.
The front passenger of the BMW, Layon Campbell, 34, and a second passenger, 16-year-old Akeam Grant, who was ejected from the BMW, died in the crash.
The driver of the BMW, Andrew Shakespeare, 33, sustained a head injury and was transported to the hospital. He is facing charges including manslaughter, aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular manslaughter, reckless endangerment, reckless driving, and driving while intoxicated.
National Traffic Crash Statistics
The following information was provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):
- 35,092 people were killed in crashes in the U.S. in 2015, marking a 7.2-percent increase from the 32,744 deaths recorded in 2014.
- The 7.2-percent spike marked the largest percentage increase recorded in nearly 50 years.
- Of those killed in collisions in 2015:
- 22,411 were occupants of passenger vehicles.
- 5,376 were pedestrians
- 4,976 were motorcyclists
- 818 were pedalcyclists
- 667 were occupants of large trucks
- 227 were listed as other or as unknown
- An additional 2,443,000 people were injured in traffic accidents in Texas in 2015.
