Drunk Indian-origin driver kills 2 teenagers in US car crash
Darpan News Desk IANS, 05 May, 2023 11:53 AM
New York, May 5 (IANS) A drunk Indian-origin pick-up truck driver slammed into a car killing two 14 year-old boys on the spot and injuring two others in Long Island, New York, police said.
Amandeep Singh, 34, was driving his 2019 Dodge Ram south in the northbound lanes on North Broadway in Jericho on Wednesday when he smashed into a 2019 Alfa Romeo four-door sedan with four male teens inside, Nassau County Police said on Thursday.
While two teens -- identified as Drew Hassenbein and Ethan Falkowitz -- were pronounced dead at the scene, the other two, aged 16 and 17, were taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries, Fox News reported.
Describing the scene, Nassau County Police Detective Capt Stephen Fitzpatrick said it was "probably one of the most catastrophic scenes I've seen in a long time".
Singh, a resident of Roslyn, New York, fled the scene after the initial collision and struck another vehicle -- a 2023 Volvo driven by a 49-year-old woman and a 16-year-old male passenger, police said, adding that both the victims were treated at the scene and released.
Singh was arrested the same day and transported to a local hospital for minor injuries.
He has been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, first-degree vehicular manslaughter, second-degree manslaughter, leaving the scene of an auto accident with a fatality, driving while intoxicated, and two counts of second-degree assault.
Singh was arraigned on Thursday at First District Court in Hempstead.
According to prosecutors, Singh's Blood Alcohol Concentration was twice the legal limit at the time of the collision.
The court heard that he had previously been convicted of a DWI (driving while intoxicated) and gang assault as a teenager.
The announcement came shortly after President Vladimir Putin authorised a "special military operation" in the conflict-hit Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. Flights to Kiev, Dnepr, Lvov and Odessa airports "are restricted due to potential hazard for civil aviation
The United Nations refugee agency said on Thursday that the situation was quickly deteriorating after Russia's invasion. It appealed to neighbouring countries to keep their borders open to people seeking a safe haven.
There are an estimated 25,000 Indian students in Ukraine alone who are pursuing medicine, engineering, and science courses. More than 2,500 students from Tamil Nadu are estimated to be studying in Ukraine.
The Foreign Secretary stated that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has spoken to his Polish, Romanian, Hungarian, and Slovakian counterparts for setting up a camp at border areas for evacuation of stranded Indian nationals. He also stated that flight options are available through Dubai and Istanbul and that the Indian Embassy continues to be operational in Ukraine.
The Ministry of External Affairs in touch with all the neighbouring countries surrounding Ukraine to even evacuate Indian citizens. Many citizens who were to fly back to India were left at the airport after closure of Ukrainian airspace following Russia's Vladimir Putin announcement of a military operation in Ukraine.
Amidst the prevailing tension, the Indian students stranded in Ukraine are left with no choice but to queue up outside the Indian Embassy in Kiev seeking the authorities' help as they ran out of food and money. The Russian military actions in Ukraine have triggered panic among all sections, including students from India.
