School bus driver kills pedestrian in Ozone Park crosswalk
On Nov. 10, 2023, police said school bus driver Maria Marte hit and killed 73-year-old Maria Rodriguez as Rodriguez crossed 86th Street at 107th Avenue in a marked crosswalk; the official crash record cites failure to yield.
What We Know
Maria Rodriguez, 73, was crossing 86th Street at 107th Avenue in Ozone Park on the morning of Nov. 10, 2023, when police said a school bus driver making a left turn hit her in a marked crosswalk. The official crash record places the crash at 7:27 a.m. and lists one pedestrian death, a bus, and failure to yield right-of-way. QNS reported that EMS pronounced Rodriguez dead at the scene, that children were aboard the bus but were not injured, and that police charged driver Maria Marte with failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care.
A left turn into a marked crosswalk
Police said Maria Rodriguez was attempting to cross 86th Street at 107th Avenue just before 7:30 a.m. when a school bus driver making a left turn from 86th Street onto 107th Avenue hit her in a marked crosswalk. The official record lists the crash time as 7:27 a.m. and records one pedestrian killed.
107th Avenue has a long crash record
The crash happened at 107th Avenue and 86th Street in Ozone Park, Queens. Along 107th Avenue in Queens, CrashCountNYC recorded 481 crashes, 345 injuries, 22 serious injuries, and one death from the start of 2022 through June 1, 2026.
Maria Rodriguez died at the scene
Police identified the pedestrian as 73-year-old Maria Rodriguez. Officers from the 106th Precinct found her unconscious and unresponsive on the roadway, and EMS pronounced her dead at the scene, QNS reported.
Children were aboard the school bus
The official vehicle record describes the driver as a licensed New York driver in a 2013 Ford bus, traveling south and making a left turn, with six occupants recorded. QNS reported that a small number of children were on board and that none were injured.
Police took the driver into custody
The official crash record lists failure to yield right-of-way as a contributing factor. QNS reported that the driver, Maria Marte of East Elmhurst, remained at the scene, was taken into custody, and was charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care.
NYPD investigators continued the case
QNS reported that the NYPD Highway District Collision Investigation Squad continued to investigate after the crash.