Car Crash on Cross Bay Boulevard Kills Five

Another terrible car accident claims five lives: A van from Brooklyn Manor, a group home for the mentally ill, crashed into a tree and caught on fire yesterday afternoon in Queens. It turns out that the driver, Guy Thelemaque, who had a suspended license and managed to survive the crash with injuries, swerved the van in order to avoid another car; authorities believes he had been driving well above the 40 MPH speed limit. Four other passengers trapped in the 15-seat Ford Econoline were rescued by passers-by. The Queens DA's office said that none of the passengers were wearing seatbelts, causing them to be thrown forward during the crash.

The fire was so hot that it melted the road. Brooklyn Manor has had troubled history of problems, including abuse (see these old NY Times articles) and deaths (last year a man died while smoking in bed), and was seized by the state last year.