Freak remote-start car accident kills man in South Jamaica
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Michael Kosanovich was killed when a remotely started car pinned him to another vehicle on 148th Street in South Jamaica. Photo via Google Maps.
By Jonathan Sperling
A South Jamaica street was the site of a grisly accident on Friday, when a car that was started remotely by mistake collided with another vehicle, pinning a pedestrian in between.
Michael Kosanovich, 21, was standing on 148 Street near Foch Boulevard between two vehicles when one vehicle, a 2002 Lexus IS300 was accidentally started by remote. As the vehicle rolled forward, Kosanovich was pinned at the torso between that vehicle and a second vehicle, also a 2002 Lexus IS300.
Bystanders attempted to push the first vehicle back to free Kosanovich, but, in doing so, the first car rolled forward again and pinned Kosanovich between the two vehicles once again.
By the time police arrived on the scene at around 9:50 p.m., Kosanovich had suffered severe trauma to the legs and torso. EMS rushed him to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on Saturday.
The NYPD Highway District's Collision Investigation Squad is still investigating the incident, and no arrests had been made as of press time Wednesday.
An obituary for Kosanovich published in the Home News Tribune recalls the New Jersey native’s love for skateboarding, riding ATV's and dirt bikes. He leaves behind his mother, brother, grandparents and a girlfriend.
Despite a recent rash of collisions in Queens, fatal collisions are down this year in the Queens South patrol area, which covers South Jamaica. A total of 32 people have died in traffic collisions so far this year, compared to 34 at this time last year.
A similar trend appears in the Queens North patrol area, where 31 fatalities have occurred this year, down from 33 last year. Total traffic collisions, including those that are non-fatal, are also down across the borough and citywide.
Safe driving advocates, however, believe that even one death resulting from a traffic collision is one too many. Earlier this year, after Cameron Brown, 7, was struck and killed while exiting a school bus in Far Rockaway, Transportation Alternatives member and Families for Safe Streets co-founder Hsi-Pei Liao told the Eagle that fatal traffic collisions are often preventable.
“We see these situations as preventable with, and we need drivers who operate these multi-ton vehicles to be accountable for their actions,” Liao said.
