Van Driver Won't Face Crash Rap
BY LIZ GOFF

Queens prosecutors last week dropped child endangerment charges against the driver of a private van that ran into an MTA bus in Fresh Meadows on December 14.

Seven youngsters were injured in the crash, including 9-year-old Rebecca Fraizer, who remains in critical condition after undergoing surgery for a fractured skull at Long Island Jewish Hospital. A hospital spokesperson said the little girl remains listed in critical but stable condition, and that she is expected to recover from her injuries. Six other children, including a 5-year-old boy who was thrown from the van, suffered only minor injuries, police said.

Police said the accident occurred at about 8 a.m. on Friday, when Gene Boyd, 60,was driving children to P.S. 178 and to a local day care center. When Boyd tried to make a left turn onto 184th Street from Union Turnpike in the 2001 Dodge Ram, the van hit a Q46 bus traveling in the opposite direction. The impact caused the van to spin out of control tossing the boy to the street.

Police at the 107th Police Precinct arrested Boyd, who was not licensed to transport children to school, and was charged with reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child.

Police said Boyd suffered chest pains while being processed at the 71st Avenue precinct. He was taken to Mary Immaculate Hospital for treatment.

Officials at the state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) confirmed that Boyd was not properly licensed to transport the children to school. A spokesperson for the NYC Department of Transportation said the 15-passenger Dodge Ram van is not approved for transporting children to school, and that the vehicle had not undergone twice-yearly inspections required for buses used to transport students.

Police said Boyd is a driver for Davis Transportation Service, a private bus service run out of the Cambria Heights home of company owner, Robert Davis.

Prosecutors dropped the charges after determining that Boyd's actions did not constitute reckless endangerment or endangering the welfare of a child, said a spokesperson for the Queens District Attorney's office.

Law enforcement sources told the Gazette the crash remains under investigation. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, Boyd and Davis could face other, additional charges.