A 44-year-old construction worker directing traffic at a roadside project in Queens was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver who was later nabbed by police.
Isabel Alvarez was standing in a safety zone between the exit ramp and the eastbound lanes of the Nassau Expressway near the Van Wyck Expressway in South Ozone Park, flagging cars through, when suspect Daveanand Budhai, driving a 2018 Infiniti Q50S struck her and then drove off just before 7:30 a.m. Friday, police said.
Medics pronounced Alvarez, of Longwood in the Bronx, dead at the scene. Cops found Budhai, 25, a short time later at South Conduit Ave. and 134 St., less than a quarter mile away from the crash scene.
Alvarez, a member of the Excavator’s Union Local 731, was working on the New York State Department of Transportation’s Van Wyck Expressway project as a contractor, according to posts online.
“Yet another senseless work zone crash occurred this morning, but this time, it was fatal,” the NYS DOT wrote in a post on social media Friday. “The suspect was apprehended and the investigation continues. But that won’t bring her back.”
In another online tribute, the Local 731 wrote, “Losing a member on the job is the hardest news we can share. Our thoughts and prayers are with Isabel’s family, friends and all of her brothers and sisters in Local 731 during this heartbreaking time.”
Medics took Budhai to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was treated for minor injuries to his right hand and later placed into custody.
Budhai was hit with a slew of charges, including leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, assault, aggravated unlicensed operator, menacing, reckless driving, unsafe lane change and speed violation, cops said.
Budhai lives in South Ozone Park, roughly a mile away from the scene, according to police.
An investigation remains underway by the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad.
“Today’s tragic fatality is a stark reminder to the traveling public to slow down and move over, pay attention, respect work zones, and please, keep all of our workers safe,” NYS DOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said in a statement.
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