Two pedestrians fatally injured on Woodhaven Boulevard
Police said a 23-year-old BMW driver and a 22-year-old Toyota driver hit Toni Budija and a 73-year-old man as they crossed Woodhaven Boulevard near Forest Park; the city crash record lists both pedestrians as killed.
What We Know
At about 8:35 p.m. on Nov. 18, 2023, two pedestrians were hit on Woodhaven Boulevard in Queens. QNS reported that police identified the 71-year-old woman as Toni Budija and said she died after EMS took her to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. The article said a 73-year-old man was critically injured, while the city crash record lists both pedestrians as killed. Police told QNS the pair were crossing westward near Forest Park when a 23-year-old BMW driver traveling south tried to avoid them but struck both with the passenger-side mirror; after they fell, a 22-year-old Toyota Camry driver, also traveling south, hit them. QNS reported both drivers remained at the scene.
Police described two southbound drivers hitting the pedestrians
QNS, citing police, reported that officers responded to a 911 call near Woodhaven Boulevard and Park Lane South at about 8:36 p.m. on Nov. 18, 2023. The city crash record logs the crash at 8:35 p.m. and lists two pedestrians killed.
According to the preliminary police account reported by QNS, Toni Budija and a 73-year-old companion were trying to cross Woodhaven Boulevard westward when a 23-year-old BMW driver traveling south swerved from the right lane to the center lane and struck both pedestrians with the passenger-side rearview mirror. After they fell, a 22-year-old Toyota Camry driver, also traveling south, hit them. QNS reported that both drivers remained at the scene and were not injured.
The crash happened by Woodhaven Boulevard and Forest Park
The official record places the crash on Woodhaven Boulevard in Queens. QNS reported the scene as near Woodhaven Boulevard and Park Lane South, close to the southeast corner of Forest Park, where police said the pedestrians were trying to cross westward.
The records disagree on the 73-year-old man’s outcome
QNS identified the 71-year-old woman as Toni Budija of Main Street in Briarwood and reported that EMS took her to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. The same article said her 73-year-old companion was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Queens Hospital in critical but stable condition.
The city crash record lists a 71-year-old female pedestrian and a 73-year-old male pedestrian as killed. Because the article and the official record give different outcomes for the man, this page notes the disagreement rather than resolving it beyond the sourced records.
Two sedans were recorded in the crash
The city crash record lists a 2017 BMW sedan and a 2014 Toyota sedan, both traveling south and going straight ahead, each with one licensed male driver. QNS described the vehicles as a 2017 BMW 430i and a 2014 Toyota Camry and reported the drivers’ ages as 23 and 22.
The official factor points to the pedestrian crossing
The city crash record lists pedestrian error or confusion as a contributing factor for each pedestrian. QNS reported the preliminary police account that the two pedestrians were attempting to cross Woodhaven Boulevard when the BMW driver tried to avoid them before the impacts.
Police said the collision investigation continued
QNS reported that the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad continued to investigate the crash.