QUEENS, NY – A South Ozone Park man has been charged with manslaughter and other crimes after allegedly speeding through a construction zone and fatally striking a flag worker on the Nassau Expressway Friday morning.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said 25-year-old Daveanand Budhai was arraigned on charges including second-degree manslaughter, assault, leaving the scene of a fatal crash, reckless driving, and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.
The victim, 44-year-old Isabel Alvarez, was working as a flag person near Exit 1N toward the Van Wyck Expressway when she was hit around 7:28 a.m. on September 19. Investigators said Budhai was driving an Infiniti sedan at a high rate of speed when he entered the construction zone, plowed through traffic drums, and struck Alvarez.
Alvarez, who was wearing her required safety gear, was thrown about 168 feet and died at the scene.
Budhai allegedly fled more than a mile before calling 911 from 134th Street and South Conduit Avenue to report hand injuries. Police arriving at that location found his sedan with extensive front-end damage, a shattered windshield, and fluorescent markings consistent with the victim’s safety vest.
Budhai faces up to 22 years in prison if convicted. He was ordered held and is due back in court on September 26.
Key Points
- A 44-year-old construction flag worker, Isabel Alvarez, was struck and killed on the Nassau Expressway Friday morning.
- Driver Daveanand Budhai, 25, is charged with manslaughter, leaving the scene, and reckless driving.
- Alvarez’s body was thrown 168 feet; Budhai allegedly fled before later calling 911 for his own injuries.
A roadside job ended in tragedy when a driver turned a work zone into a crime scene.
