By Tiffany Williams –
A Queens construction worker was mowed down and killed in a hit-and-run crash on the Nassau Expressway Friday morning — and prosecutors say the reckless driver never should have been behind the wheel.
Queens DA Melinda Katz said Daveanand Budhai, 25, of South Ozone Park, was barreling his Infiniti sedan at high speed through an active construction zone near Exit 1N to the Van Wyck Expressway when he plowed into 44-year-old flag worker Isabel Alvarez. The impact was so violent Alvarez’s body was thrown 168 feet onto the shoulder, killing her instantly.
Katz said Alvarez was in full safety gear, holding a stop sign and doing her job when Budhai ignored the closed lane, smashed through traffic drums, and turned the work zone into his “personal shortcut.”
Instead of stopping, Budhai allegedly fled more than a mile away, calling 911 only to report his own hand injuries. Cops who responded found his Q50 sedan with a shattered windshield, blood and glass inside, and fluorescent marks streaked across the hood and roof.
Budhai was arraigned on manslaughter, assault, reckless driving, aggravated unlicensed operation, and leaving the scene of a fatality. He faces up to 22 years if convicted. Judge Diego Freire ordered him back in court September 26.
Katz blasted the defendant for choosing speed and recklessness over human life. “Our condolences are with the family, friends and coworkers of Isabel Alvarez as they mourn her senseless loss,” she said.