Motor Home Fire in Forest Hills

This was the scene this afternoon around 5 p.m. when a motor home parked in front of a house on Groton Street, between 69th and 70th Avenues, apparently exploded. I am told the elderly owner of the house it was parked in front of lived inside of it and he is unaccounted for.

6p.m. Update: The owner of the motor home has been accounted for and is okay. 

3/19 Update: I received a call today from a neighbor who claims the motor home did not explode. I've changed the headline on this story to say it was a fire. The person who originally reported this to me said a nearby store owner told him she heard an explosion, which is why we reported it that way.  

Taxi Cab Flips Over On Queens Boulevard

This happened in Forest Hills today, around 11:15 a.m. Not sure on the condition of the drivers or passengers involved....

Summer Drivers, Part 2

For those who may have been away, the end of summer brought with it even worse drivers than we normally see. Here's the after-effects of a car that smashed into the wall of the parking lot above Austin St., raining debris on the sidewalk below. Part 1: the destruction of the Value Depot store on 71st Continental by an out-of-control person who smashed her car into the front of it.

Value Depot Repairs

Following the weekend's bizarre collision by an apparently completely out-of-control driver, construction workers were repairing Value Depot on this sweltering August day. Also notice the damage to the nearby telephone booths that the car also knocked about.

Unbelievable Accident on 71st Continental

It looks like a car smashed overnight right into the front of Value Depot on 71st Continental Ave. I have no idea how an accident like this could possibly occur given the location of this store. Anyway, if anyone knows what exactly happened, comment below or email it to edgeofthecity@gmail.com
Thanks to Dawn,  Angela and Veronica for emailing and tweeting me about it and for their pics!

Updated: Here's an eyewitness account that was emailed to me:

I was actually walking west on the south side of Queens Boulevard when it happened around 1:30 am last night. I was crossing 108th towards Ridgewood Bank when I heard the squealing of tires, and finished crossing/safe on sidewalk when I turned my head towards where Fay Day/that health store on the corner is and saw a sedan/compact? (it was a car, not an SUV or other) out of control taking that turn way too fast. It fishtailed and then went at a weird angle straight into the store front (it sort of looked like it went through the bus shelter but from your pics it doesn't seem like that's the case). I saw an explosion of glass/dust/debris and people screaming. The people waiting for the bus on my side started running towards the accident, I was really freaked out and more than a little tipsy so I decided there was nothing I could do if I went over to see what happened and kept walking home.

I'm disappointed it wasn't on NY1 or any news outlet though. It's hard to tell if there were any injuries or if everyone's OK. It didn't seem like it hit any pedestrians/people on the sidewalk; from my angle it looked like they were closer to QB than where he crashed into the store. Very scary stuff though, I was a little shaken up.
https://twitter.com/feistyfoodie/status/637867198745329664

Yvo
The Feisty Foodie

Crazy Crash in Rego Park

One of those big red casino buses sheared off the corner of an apartment building in Rego Park today! Various reports said several people were injured... Casino Bus Crashes Into Queens Apartment Building

Crash, Intersection of Ascan and Queens Blvd.

The scene tonight.

Pieces of I guess the other car were as far as the eye can see on Queens Blvd. You can see some of them on the pavement if you look closely (sorry for the blurry pic, but I was a bit distracted literally walking over the debris from the other car as I crossed this evening).

When are these drivers going to learn that this is not a highway?

When is the city going to learn that it needs to do more?

For example, when are we going to get rumble strips put down on these death-trap intersections here in Forest Hills like I've been calling for for years?

I hear they've finally started doing it in other places nearby.

Snow Plow Shatters Exo Cafe Windows

This happened Thursday night at Exo Cafe on Austin St., according to NBC news. I've included a link to the story below the video.


Snow From Plow Truck Shatters Restaurant Windows, Knocks Over Customer

The incident happened at Exo Cafe, shown here under construction a few years ago.

Queens Boulevard Winter Wander

Marching Toward a People-friendly Queens Boulevard
“Winter Wander” Rally and Walk to Highlight Safety Proposals for Hazardous Corridor

For decades, Queens Boulevard has been notorious as one of the most dangerous speedways in the five boroughs. But this weekend, the so-called “Boulevard of Death” will be the site of a leisurely — and safe — walk for area residents, as Transportation Alternatives’ Queens Activist Committee hosts the Queens Boulevard Winter Wander.

The event kicks off in Elmhurst with a community discussion about T.A.'s Zero on Queens Boulevard Campaign, which advocates for pedestrian safety improvements along the corridor, including bike infrastructure and dedicated lanes for Select Bus Service (SBS). The Winter Wander continues with a group walk along the Boulevard toward Forest Hills. Local street safety advocates will discuss the history of the roadway and the dangers faced by pedestrians, cyclists and motorists alike.

About the Zero on Queens Boulevard Campaign

With more than 40 coalition partners and 2,000 petition signatures, the Zero on Queens Boulevard Campaign is poised to make major gains in early 2014. Local residents, small business owners and community leaders are calling on area community boards to support a street redesign to save lives and strengthen the local economy.

WHAT: Queens Boulevard Winter Wander

WHEN: Saturday, December 14th, 1 pm- 3:30pm

WHERE: Kicks off at: New Life Fellowship Church, 8210 Queens Blvd, Elmhurst

WHO: Transportation Alternatives and Concerned Queens Community Members,
Open to the Public

RSVP : bikenyc.org/event/5679

Another Queens Blvd. Tragedy

How many more people have to lose their lives on this treacherous roadway that runs through our neighborhood before our public officials get off their fucking asses and do something about it? Fucking disgraceful and sickening.

Forest Hills hit and run leaves woman dead

Overnight Action: Crash and Bank Robbery

I'm hearing from different folks that the overnight hours were particularly busy locally, especially in the area around the Gardens and Metropolitan Ave.

Some residents report being awoken around 4 a.m. by police helicopters and I'm hearing that the Chase Bank on Metropolitan Ave. at the corner of 70th Ave. may have been robbed around that time.

Also overnight, a car overturned on Juno St., near 69th. But remarkably everyone was reportedly ok. I have no idea at this time if the two incidents are connected in any way.

The photo below was tweeted by @tarakinkead

Long Island Railroad Train Derailment Photos

My friend was on the train that derailed in the East River tunnel tonight. He said it took them like 3 hours to get him and the other passengers off the train. All the while they were trapped in the packed car in the tunnel without air conditioning.

Accident at Corner of Austin/Ascan Last Night

A car crashed Friday night into the convenience store at the corner of Austin St. and Ascan.

Person Struck Near LIRR Station

A reader just emailed to tell me the awful news that a person has been struck by a train near the Forest Hills LIRR station.

Service has been suspended between Penn and Jamaica....

The Big Squeeze

A friend of mine sent me these pics tonight of a truck stuck under the Long Island Railroad overpass on Continental Ave....

92-Year-Old Woman Struck By Minivan

Holocaust Survivor Critically Hurt by Minivan in Queens

MYFOXNY.COM - A 92-year-old Holocaust survivor was fighting for her life Thursday night after she was hit by a minivan in Queens.

An All-Around Tragedy

From The NY Post: Qns. man run over twice on pizza run

This is one of those stories that are just so sad all around. Regular readers of this blog know by now how I feel about the incredible disadvantage pedestrians have in Queens when it comes to most all of their interactions with motorists. Queens Blvd. is a daily disaster where pedestrians have to hurry across lest they be struck down by one or another cars turning this way or that. And now this horrific incident on 108th St., and a previous one just recently on Yellowstone.

It's not really that hard to make our streets safer for pedestrians, is it? Not if the political will is there to take on the interests that are only concerned with the speedy flow of automobile traffic. We never did find out, by the way, who shortened the walk signals on Queens Blvd. a year or so ago so now it is virtually impossible to make it across without walking fast or even running. And no, new countdown clocks do not change the fact that there is not enough time for the average pedestrian to walk across with total and complete safety. The onus should not be on just the pedestrians, as it is now. And yet, not a peep from our local politicians about lengthening the time for pedestrians to cross Queens Blvd.

Why is that?

There is more to a city than just enabling cars to move as fast as they can. You have to make sure its people can move about safely on foot as well. They should not have to be risking life and limb when it comes to doing so.