Motorcyclist and passenger killed in a multi-vehicle collision on Grand Central Parkway in Briarwood: NYPD

Police say the unidentified man was operating a 2022 CF Moto motorcycle traveling eastbound on the Grand Central Parkway just after 6:30 p.m. and approaching the Jackie Robinson Parkway exit when he failed to navigate the roadway and collided with a white BMW X1, driven by a 28-year-old woman.

The NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad determined that the motorcycle continued eastbound where it slammed into a blue Ford Explorer, with a 39-year-old man behind the wheel. Following that impact, both the motorcyclist and his passenger were ejected when his bike struck the pavement. The riderless motorcycle skidded along the Grand Central Parkway and collided with a Chevrolet Express van driven by a 37-year-old man, before the unoccupied motorcycle careened into a Chrysler Town and Country van driven by a 73-year-old man.

Police from the 112th Precinct responded to a 911 call reporting a motor vehicle collision at the location and closed down the eastbound lanes and began checking for the injured. The motorcycle rider sustained severe head trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene by EMS. His passenger sustained severe head and body trauma and was rushed by EMS to New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital in critical condition, where she was later pronounced dead.

A total of five other individuals were evaluated by EMS at the scene with three of them transported to area hospitals, where they were listed in stable condition with minor injuries. The identity of the deceased are being withheld pending proper family notification.

There are no arrests and the investigation remains ongoing by the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad, a unit that has probed two other fatal motorcycle crashes in Queens in recent weeks.

On the morning of Saturday, July 11, a 45-year-old Rosedale man was riding a Yamaha R6 motorcycle traveling westbound on North Conduit Avenue in Springfield Gardens just before 4:40 a.m. when he lost control of his bike and jumped the curb near 159th Street and was ejected.

Police from the 113th Precinct responded to a 911 call of a crash at the location and found the injured rider with severe body trauma. EMS rushed him to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. He was later identified as Douglas Simon, 45, of Francis Lewis Boulevard in Rosedale. There are no arrests and the CIS investigation remains ongoing.

The sudden spike in fatal motorcycle crashes across the borough began on Roosevelt Avenue in Woodside on the morning of Thursday, July 2. Jorge Alcibiades Palaquibay-Lima, 31, of Gleane Street in Elmhurst, was riding a 2017 Kawasaki motorcycle westbound when he collided with a box truck making a right hand turn onto 64th Street. Palaquibay-Lima was ejected from his ride and landed at the northwest corner of the intersection. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. The 57-year-old truck driver remained at the location. There are no arrests and the CIS probe remains ongoing.

Palaquibay-Lima worked for a construction company owned by Zack Rockhill who launched a  GoFundMe campaign to help his wife and three young children.

“Jorge Palaquibay was a dedicated and hardworking member of our construction company, known for his thoughtfulness and commitment to his work. His sudden loss has left his family facing not only emotional heartbreak, but also immediate financial challenges,” Rockhill wrote. “The funds raised will help them cover urgent expenses and provide some relief as they adjust to life without Jorge. Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a meaningful difference for his wife and children.”