Single-vehicle accidents themselves aren’t rare. But what is rare is for a single-vehicle accident to end with multiple deaths and the vehicle looking like it crashed with at least one other moving car. But in an accident in Queens over the weekend, that’s exactly what happened.

A Mercedes Benz SUV carrying seven passengers in the early Sunday morning hours was mangled when it collided with a pillar. Three women and two children were killed. The driver, one adult passenger and another child were all rushed to the hospital.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the vehicle was leaving a gathering of Nigerian immigrants who had gathered from around the country in Queens for a banquet and meeting. They were heading home around 3 a.m.

Witnesses report that the SUV breezed through two red lights and was traveling at a high rate of speed. The driver, a 45-year old woman, collided with a pillar supporting the AirTran to JFK airport. Continue reading →