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Five injured on 'Boulevard of Death'

Friday, June 08, 2007

(Queens - WABC, June 8, 2007) (WABC) -- A massive search is underway for the driver who hit several pedestrians on a street known as the "Boulevard of Death."

NewsCopter7 was over the scene Friday morning in the Sunnyside section of Queens.

The victims were hit in the crosswalk at the intersection of Queens Boulevard and 46th Street.

Eyewitness News reporter Jim Dolan has the latest.

Five people were hurt, and it's easy to see how that happened as the sidewalks along Queens Boulevard were packed this morning. Witnesses say a speeding maroon Jeep Cherokee lost control.

A gray Honda Civic crumbled from the high-speed impact with the Jeep and plowed up onto the crowded sidewalk, pinning a 16-year-old boy against a lamppost.

Four others were injured as pedestrians scrambled for safety and to find medical attention for the boy.

"He was laying down, he was bleeding a lot," one eyewitness said. "He was bleeding from his leg. He broke his leg."

"There was a lot of blood and screaming and shouting," another witness said. "Some people were following the Cherokee, trying to stop it...And it just ran away."

The driver of the Jeep drove away, even as the injured lay on the sidewalk. The boy who was struck was walking with his mother.

"Not anybody can look at Queens Boulevard today and feel confident that the city is doing all it can," New York City Councilman Eric Gioia said.

Residents have complained for years about how fast and recklessly people drive on Queens Boulevard, but they say nothing gets done.

"Cars they're going so fast that it's like a highway," one resident said. "And they don't care. They just go straight."

"In the past month alone, there have been three accidents along a 20-block stretch," Gioia said. "I've written letters about this. I've complained about it publicly. It shouldn't take accidents of this proportion before the city acts."

Authorities are searching for the dark maroon Jeep Cherokee with Florida license plate number W41BZU. They say it is missing its front bumper and has extensive damage.

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