A pair of single-vehicle crashes on Roosevelt Boulevard last weekend left four people hospitalized, one driver facing DUI charges and police on the hunt for another driver suspected of hit-and-run.
One out-of-control minivan struck a woman outside of a Feltonville motel, police said. The 49-year-old victim was standing in front of the Days Inn near Garland Street at about 11:05 p.m. Saturday when a southbound van veered off the highway and over a curb, striking the woman. The impact launched the woman 15 feet and caused head trauma, a broken leg, a ruptured spleen and other internal injuries, police said. She was hospitalized in critical condition at Albert Einstein Medical Center. Her name was not released.
The wayward vehicle also struck a fence outside the motel and stopped there briefly, before leaving the scene in an unknown direction, according to a witness. Police did not release a description of the driver or a tag number, but described the vehicle as a tan minivan, possibly a 2009 Chevy Venture.
At about 3:30 the following morning, a second crash injured three young men, including one who will face DUI charges, police said.
A witness told investigators that he saw a Plymouth Neon traveling northbound in the outer lane of the Boulevard near Woodhaven Road when the car struck a curb, crossed the highway, mounted a grassy median and struck a tree. The car then burst into flames.
Two 18-year-old passengers were taken to Aria Health-Torresdale in critical but stable condition, while the 20-year-old driver was taken to the same hospital in unspecified condition. Their names were not released. The driver will be charged with DUI and related offenses, police said. ••
