Motorcyclist Killed in Beach Channel Drive Crash
A 38-year-old motorcyclist was killed and two people were injured on July 17, 2022, when two westbound riders and a northbound sedan driver collided at Beach Channel Drive and Beach 45th Street, where bystanders told amNewYork the corridor is a drag-racing hot spot.
What We Know
Two motorcycle riders were traveling west on Beach Channel Drive and a 52-year-old sedan driver was traveling north on Beach 45th Street when they collided in Edgemere at about 1:10 p.m. on July 17, 2022. The official record says a 38-year-old motorcycle driver died and two motorists were injured; news reports said another rider, 33, was taken to Jamaica Hospital in critical condition and the sedan driver was taken to St. John's Episcopal Hospital. The Daily News described the riders as colliding with the driver's car, while amNewYork wrote that the driver hit the pair. City data attributed unsafe speed to both motorcycle riders and listed the sedan driver as unlicensed; police reported no immediate charges.
Two riders and a sedan driver collided in Edgemere
Police told reporters the crash happened about 1:10 p.m. as two motorcyclists traveled west on Beach Channel Drive and a 52-year-old man drove north on Beach 45th Street. The official record places the crash at 1:09 p.m. at that intersection and records one death and two injuries.
Accounts differed on impact: the Daily News wrote that the riders collided with the driver's car, while amNewYork wrote that the driver hit the pair.
Beach Channel Drive at Beach 45th Street
The crash occurred in Edgemere in the Rockaways, Queens, at Beach Channel Drive and Beach 45th Street. amNewYork reported that the intersection is near a daycare and a community farm.
Bystanders told amNewYork that Beach Channel Drive is a hot spot for drag racing. The article also reported city data showing 197 crashes and 290 injuries since 2011 on roughly a mile of the corridor through Edgemere.
A rider died at the scene; two others went to hospitals
The official record identifies the person killed as a 38-year-old male motorcycle driver. Police told news outlets he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Reports said paramedics took a 33-year-old rider to Jamaica Hospital in critical condition. The 52-year-old sedan driver was taken to St. John's Episcopal Hospital; the Daily News said he was expected to recover, and amNewYork described him as stable.
Police reported no immediate charges
Police told the Daily News there were no immediate charges. amNewYork reported a fiery aftermath: one two-wheeler caught fire upon impact, and the other was pinned against a garden fence while police investigated.