A Utah grandmother and a Queens cabbie were killed and the woman’s grandson was critically injured on June 2 in a three-car crash on the Long Island Expressway (LIE).
Police sources said first responders found Nicholson laying on top of her grandson in the wreck – an apparent attempt on her part to shield the boy from serious injury.
Cops said Suzanne Nicholson, 60, and her grandson, Gabe Larson, 11, arrived at JFK Airport two hours before the fatal 12:30 a.m. smashup. The pair were in New York for a visit with Nicholson’s best friend and her grandson, police said.
Their plans for the week included a stop at Yankee Stadium, the Statue of Liberty and the Museum of Natural History. Family members told reporters Nicholson traveled to New York City once each year– and she wanted to share the experience this year with her grandson.
Cops said the incident began at about 12:30 a.m., when Nicholson’s cabbie, Mohamed Hussain, rear-ended a 1995 Porsche on the LIE near 68th Street.
The Porsche rolled over and landed on the driver’s side in the left lane of the highway, while the cab flipped on its side and slammed into the right lane, police said. A garbage truck then slammed directly into the cab, causing the fatal impact, police said.
No charges were filed against the truck driver, who sat crying and shaking on the side of the road as police questioned him, police sources said.
Both the truck driver and the 33-year-old driver of the Porsche escaped injury in the fatal crash.
Suzanne Nicholson, Hussain, 46, and Gabe Larson were taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center where Nicholson and Hussain were declared dead on arrival.
The grandson suffered a concussion, a punctured lung, a fractured collarbone and rib and pelvic fractures and is listed in stable condition at Elmhurst Hospital Center.
Doctors said the boy is “doing very well”, despite the seriousness of his injuries.