WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES OCTOBER 14, 2021 3
Maspeth man sentenced in fatal drunk driving collision: DA
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
A Maspeth man has been sentenced for killing
a Woodside pedestrian in a series of
drunk driving crashes in 2019, according
to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Jorge Samaniego, 52, of Hull Avenue pleaded
guilty last August to aggravated vehicular homicide
before Queens Supreme Court Justice Gene
Lopez. He was sentenced to five to 15 years in
prison on Monday, Oct. 4.
According to Katz, shortly before 8 p.m. on
Dec. 11, 2019, near Broadway and 55th Street, Samaniego
was driving a Honda Odyssey minivan
and rear-ended a red Infiniti as the driver was
approaching a red light. The driver of the Infiniti
got out of his car to survey the damage and asked
Samaniego if he was OK.
Without saying a word, Samaniego drove away
from the scene, according to the charges.
He then drove erratically on Broadway to
60th Street, went through a red light, and struck
Woodside resident Alberto Zamacona, 47, in the
crosswalk and kept driving. At 61st Street, Samaniego
veered into oncoming traffic to avoid
slamming into a car stopped at a red light, according
to Katz.
The minivan then struck a taxi head-on with
so much force the vehicle was pushed backward
and struck a Toyota Sienna, which in turn hit a
Jeep Grand Cherokee.
According to the complaint, Zamacona was
rushed to Elmhurst Hospital, where he later died
A Maspeth man was sentenced for killing a pedestrian while driving drunk at a Woodside
intersection in 2019. Screenshot via Google Maps
with irreversible brain damage.
The chain-reaction crash caused damage to the
three vehicles and one of the drivers needed medical
attention for non-life-threatening injuries.
The DA said when police responded to the
scene, they found Samaniego exhibiting signs
of intoxication including bloodshot eyes, slurred
speech and smelling of alcohol. He was taken to
a nearby police precinct where a test showed he
had a blood-alcohol level of 0.187%, which is above
the legal limit of 0.08%.
“The sentence imposed yesterday by the court
punishes the defendant for taking a life after
getting behind the wheel of a car while drunk,”
Katz said. “No one has the right to be this
reckless.”
¿Conoce a un adulto mayor
que esté siendo maltratado?
¿No sabe a dónde dirigirse?
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