June 9, 2007 -- Five people were injured on Queens Boulevard yesterday when a hit-and-run driver ran a red light and smashed another car into a group of pedestrians.
The red Jeep, bearing Florida plates, was hurtling east on the "Boulevard of Death" at 10:10 a.m. trying to beat a red light at 47th Street when it lost control, witnesses said.
Blowing the light, the car smashed into a Honda Civic making a turn onto the boulevard. The Honda hurtled onto the sidewalk, smashing into a light pole and people on the sidewalk.
Gonpo Dorjee, 16, was the most seriously hurt, suffering severe injuries to both legs. He was rushed to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition. His mother, Nygia Nordon, 36, was also injured.
The other pedestrians hurt were Enrique Segundo Mantilla, 40, and Ysmelda Yinara, 36.
The driver of the Honda, Diana Albornoz, 30, was treated for minor injuries.
"The way the car looked you would have thought someone died," said witness Ramesh Jazeri.
Abu Khan, 42, was in his grocery store nearby and saw the mayhem.
"When I came out, I saw a pedestrian in bad shape lying on the street in front of my store with another three people lying further up," he said.
