An out-of-control driver fatally struck a man on a scooter before plowing into an outdoor dining set-up in Queens on Thursday night, police and sources said.
A diner was also injured in the smash-up outside Rosatoro at the corner of 35th Street and Ditmars Boulevard at about 7:45 p.m., according to police and sources
The destruction began when a 60-year-old woman behind the wheel of a sedan struck two parked cars, then rammed into a scooter driver, a 29-year-old man, according to police.
She continued driving, with the male victim being dragged under her car, before barreling through the dining area outside the Peruvian restaurant, injuring a 32-year-old female patron, police and sources said.
Her vehicle came to a rest after striking a tree on the sidewalk near the indoor entrance of the eatery.
The driver remained on scene and was being questioned by police, authorities said.
“It was so loud — horrible,” witness Joseph Ortiz, 40, said of the crash.
A shot of the scene and damage done by the car that smashed into the outdoor dining area of Rosatoro restaurant in Queens on April 29, 2021. Peter GerberOrtiz, who bartends across the street, said the scooter driver was trapped beneath the woman’s car.
“We tried to get to him. His face was just full of blood. It was bad.”
Surveillance footage from inside the restaurant shows indoor diners jump out of their seats when the vehicle plows through the structure.
A look at the wreckage of the car which smashed into the outdoor dining area of Rosatoro in Queens on April 29, 2021. Peter GerberThe scooter driver was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, according to cops.
The diner was also hospitalized with injuries to both legs, police said.
