Car Flips into Creek and Leaves 4 Dead

Queens, New York – At approximately 10:30PM this past Friday, in a lonely section of this borough just off the East River, a man driving a 2009 Honda Accord carrying four occupants accidentally flipped the car over into Steinway Creek. While the driver was able to escape, he said the occupants were unable to get out of the car and drowned. It is unclear what the car was doing in this once industrial area as it has long since been abandoned. The street he drove down was had no outlet.

Firemen extricated the bodies from the car and rushed them to the hospital, but not one of them survived. The victims were all young adults barely starting out in life. They are 19-year-old Jada Monique Butts, 21-year-old Darius Fletcher, 20-year-old Jalel Furtado, and 19-year-old Crystal Gravely. Reporters witnessed family members arriving at the hospital to identify the bodies of their children in that experience that no parent ever wants to have. In one case, police officers provided comfort to a bereaved woman who was a stepmother to one of the victims. The lone survivor is a 20-year-old male, but his name has not been made public yet. He is currently receiving treatment at Elmhurst General Hospital where his condition is said to be stable.

The vehicle involved in the accident was finally pulled out of the inlet yesterday morning, but it took two officers wading into the trash filled muck to assist the tow truck. They emerged filthy and were hosed off. All of the victims came from the same neighborhood of East Elmhurst known for its germane stream of brick houses. Their local community has taken news of the youngsters passing away hard. Local hairdresser Sheila Ortiz said she knew the young women since they were girls. She said the victims were good children.

Source:
http://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/nypd-ids-4-killed-after-car-flips-into-queens-creek-1.7617035