May 9, 2008
Police Search for Suspects in Child's Hit-and-Run Death
Police are still looking for men who abandoned a BMW in Queens after a fatal crash that left a 5-year-old dead. The accident occurred in the section Jamaica, at 109th Avenue and 164th Place.
The accident was truly horrific. The boy, Jordan McLean, had been in a Ford Escape with his grandmother and aunt, who was driving. The Daily News reports his aunt "swerved" to avoid the BMW, which was apparently drag-racing, but the BMW still hit the car. The little boy was ejected and then, per WABC 7, he was "tossed into a brick wall, where he was then pinned by the spinning car he had been riding in."
What's more, witnesses say the "boy was wearing a seatbelt, but that the impact still threw him from the car. One witness says the boy's pants were pulled down by the seatbelt as he was ejected." He pronounced dead at the hospital; his relatives were not seriously injured.
According to the News, the police suspect the car was bought with a stolen identity. Additionally, a second car, a Jaguar, was seen racing the BMW. Residents complained about drivers racing up and down their street--they showed NY1 damaged fences, a damaged mail box, even a house damaged in an accident. While residents have asked for a traffic light, but the Department of Transportation says even though there have been seven accidents since 2003, it doesn't meet the federal standards for a light.
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At 5 probably too small to be safely restrained by a seatbelt without the use of a booster seat.
"but the Department of Transportation says even though there have been seven accidents since 2003, it doesn't meet the federal standards for a light."
How about the common sense standards? It sucks when it takes something like this to wake a gov't agency up, but who know, they probably still wont put in a light.
Life in prison for the driver. Passenger gets ten years plus loses the right to drive for life. That sounds fair to me.
Oh, and while we're on the subject of crashes. DWI should have a first time penalty of revocation of driver's license for life. Have a nice day.
It's just a sad, terrible tragedy.
And the DOT's reasoning for not putting in a light or speed bump is crazy. I went to a community board meeting once, and residents were complaining about a particular street (the stop sign is more like a "stop only if you really want to"), but the DOT said that until there are a certain number of accidents, nothing can happen. So we wait for injuries before we put in traffic calming measures? Absolutely insane.
This is so sad. My thoughts go to the family and truly hope they find the perps.
What a sad story. My condolences to the family.
Also...
Leave it to the Gothamist hater crew to blame the victim in the very first fucking post.
Classy, real classy.
One witness says the boy's pants were pulled down by the seatbelt as he was ejected.
What do these people have against belts or appropriately sized clothing?
What do these people have against belts or appropriately sized clothing?
What do you have against being a human being and realizing that a post about a 5-year-old child dying is not the place for your racist BS? You're gonna impale yourself on that spear one of these days...
Spear Chucker is a dumbass who has posted on other articles. I'm glad you find the death of an innocent 5-year-old funny and a time for stupid jokes.
What goes around comes around...
Jen.
It's always that way when a stop sign needs to be replaced by a traffic light. There has to be countless accidents and loss of life before someone wakes up and realizes a traffic light should be installed.
What a cute kid. My condolences to his family.
My dad was smashed by a hit-and-run driver back in '93. Dad was walking across the street. Drag racers, Detroit, never found. He survived but his legs were crushed. I hope the folks who caused this accident are found. It makes it doubly maddening when they aren't.
#1 is right. also, the size of the child (not necessarily the age) determines if the child should be in a car seat/booster seat. he was probably too small for just a seatbelt. this is just sad.
Spear Chucker is a Scumbag for making fun of a child's death.
#6, you are overreacting. #1 isn't blaming the victim -- he/she is just pointing out that this tragedy could've possibly been avoided if the kid had been properly restrained. It was my first thought too when reading the article.
That being said, I hope the idiots in the BMW are found and put in prison for a long, long time.