Driver in Mazda SUV Kills 10-Year-Old in Far Rockaway
A woman driving a Mazda SUV hit and killed 10-year-old Davina Afokoba on Beach Channel Drive, where press reports said the driver went over the curb and pinned her at a Far Rockaway car wash.
What We Know
On Feb. 9, 2022, a woman driving a Mazda SUV on Beach Channel Drive in Far Rockaway hit two pedestrians, killing 10-year-old Davina Afokoba and injuring another woman. Press reports said the driver went over the curb and into a car wash, where Davina was pinned against the building. The city crash record lists driver inexperience as a contributing factor and records the driver’s license status as a New York permit. Police had made no arrests in the case when the reviewed articles were published.
A child was pinned at a Beach Channel Drive car wash
The crash happened at about 4:13 p.m. on Feb. 9, 2022, on Beach Channel Drive in Far Rockaway. The city record says one pedestrian was killed, another pedestrian was injured and one motorist was injured.
Articles identified the child as Davina Afokoba. QNS reported that police found a 34-year-old woman driving a 2009 Mazda CX9 had hit two pedestrians who were walking on the sidewalk, and that Davina was pinned against the building. The New York Post reported that surveillance video showed the driver failed to negotiate a turn onto Beach Channel Drive before going through the intersection and into the car wash.
The crash site is a busy Far Rockaway block
Press reports placed the crash in front of 13-28 Beach Channel Drive, between Dix and Mott avenues, at a car wash in Far Rockaway. The official crash record places the fatal collision on Beach Channel Drive.
amNY reported that the same one-block stretch of Beach Channel Drive had 31 serious crashes since 2011, injuring 38 people and killing one, citing NYC Crash Mapper data.
Davina Afokoba died a block from home
amNY and QNS identified the child killed as 10-year-old Davina Afokoba; amNY reported that she died just a block from her home. The official record also describes the fatal victim as a 10-year-old girl pedestrian.
A second pedestrian survived. The New York Post described her as 32, while amNY and QNS described her as 33; the reports said she was taken to Jamaica Hospital in stable condition or expected to survive. amNY and QNS also reported that the driver was taken to Jamaica Hospital in stable condition.
A borough leader called for safer streets
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. said, "It is gut-wrenching to see a child lose her life at such a young age, with such a bright future ahead of her."
The official record lists a Mazda SUV and a permit driver
The city crash record lists the involved automobile as a 2009 Mazda station wagon or sport utility vehicle traveling east, with the driver going straight ahead before the crash. QNS identified the model as a Mazda CX9, and the New York Post described it as a black Mazda.
The official record lists the driver’s license status as a New York permit and names driver inexperience as a contributing factor. The New York Post reported that the driver had a learner’s permit; amNY reported that a police spokeswoman could not confirm that detail for its story.
Police reported no immediate arrest
The New York Post reported that no charges had been filed Wednesday night. amNY and QNS reported that police had made no arrests and that the investigation remained ongoing when their stories were published.