PHOTO: An Island Park, L.I. man was allegedly drunk last Friday when he crashed his Porsche into a parked school bus on Sanford Avenue in Flushing, killing his fiancée. Photo Courtesy of Google
A Long Island man has been charged with vehicular manslaughter, DWI and other offenses after allegedly slamming into the back of a parked yellow school bus early last Friday morning in East Flushing and killing his purported fiancée, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.
Kyung Ru Song, 29, was arraigned last Friday on a criminal complaint charging him with first- and second-degree vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Bail was set at $750,000 bond, $500,000 cash, according to court records. As of Tuesday afternoon, Song was still locked up on Rikers Island.
According to the criminal charges, Song was driving a black 2014 Porsche during the pre-dawn hours last Friday when he crashed into the back of a parked yellow school bus on Sanford Avenue in front of PS 22. When police arrived at the scene, they allegedly observed that the Porsche had severe front end damage, Song was unconscious in the driver’s seat, and his passenger, his fiancée Alice, 24, was in the front passenger seat and did not appear to be breathing or moving.
Police allegedly observed that Song, who suffered minor injuries, had bloodshot and watery eyes, a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, and that Alice had sustained massive head injuries, from which she died shortly thereafter.
Later at the hospital, Song allegedly told cops that he was driving 33 miles per hour when he came around a curve in the road and his tire slipped, causing him to hit the back of the school bus. He also allegedly stated that Alice told him to “slow down,” that they had been coming from a bar, and that he drank six beers and three shots of liquor.
The unposted speed limit on that stretch of Sanford Avenue is 25 miles per hour, per Vision Zero codes. A portable breath test was allegedly administered to Song and showed a blood alcohol content of .176, which is above the legal limit of .08 in New York City. At the hospital, Song was asked if he would submit to a blood test and he allegedly refused. A court order was issued authorizing the taking of Song’s blood to be tested for alcohol and/or drugs. The results of that test are presently pending, Brown said.
According to a New York Daily News Report that quoted police sources, Song allegedly told detectives that, after seeing Alice’s condition, he tried to commit suicide at the scene.
“This was an absolutely senseless tragedy with deadly consequences for an innocent young woman,” Brown added. “During this holiday season, motorists must be very mindful of how deadly motor vehicles can be and the consequences of climbing behind the wheel after drinking.”
By Michael V. Cusenza
michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
