Man dies after his car careens down 23 feet from overpass onto Bruckner Expressway

Man dies after his car careens down 23 feet from overpass onto Bruckner Expressway|Man dies after his car careens down 23 feet from overpass onto Bruckner Expressway|Man dies after his car careens down 23 feet from overpass onto Bruckner Expressway
Photo by Patrick Rocchio |Photo by Walter Pofeldt|Photo by Ken Carozza

A man died when his car plunged from an overpass onto the Bruckner Expressway in Throggs Neck on Friday.

Police say that the crash happened at 10:50 pm when the victim, a 26-year-old motorist, was traveling along the Bruckner service road headed northbound at a high rate of speed and lost control of his 2012 Chevy Cruze as it passed E. Tremont Avenue.

He hit the wall of the overpass, broke through it and dropped about 23 feet onto the Bruckner Expressway, said police.

He was taken to Jacobi Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on arrival at 11:20 pm, according to police.

As of press time, the identity of the victim has not been released.

Stephanie Mendoza looks at the wreck from the accident after it was moved to E. Tremont Avenue near the 45th Precinct.
Photo by Walter Pofeldt

Micheal Kelleher, 50, an eyewitness who said he was nearby when the accident occurred, noted it appeared that the car veered left once reaching the intersection. The driver crashed through the fencing and wall on the overpass near the corner.

“The fencing was pealed back like it was [a can] with a can opener,” he said, adding that the police did an excellent job in keeping onlookers away from the hole in the overpass.

Community Board 10 Chairman John Marano said that he had heard from police sources that the man may have been attending a barbecue in the area.

After the accident, people placed candles and oak tag posters with pictures of the man at the scene.

Other than the memorial, all that remained after the crash was a Jersey barrier put in place as work crews repair the fencing and concrete wall at the site.

The car broke through all fencing and barriers and plunged 23 feet onto the Bruckner Expressway.
Photo by Ken Carozza

Reach Reporter Patrick Rocchio at (718) 742–3393. E-mail him at procchio@cnglocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @patrickfrocchio.