Five dead in early-morning Queens accident

Scene Of Car Accident In Jamaica, Queens

New York - An SUV smashed into a concrete pillar and flipped over before bursting into flames early Sunday, killing three women and two children. The driver, along with another adult and a child inside the vehicle, were hospitalized.

A 2008 Mercedes Benz SUV carrying eight people was traveling eastbound on Atlantic Avenue in the New York borough of Queens around 3:15 a.m. when it hit a concrete pillar east of the Van Wyck Expressway, authorities said.

The impact flipped the car and sent it rolling over. Police said the severely mangled SUV ended up on its side and erupted into flames.

Three adult passengers, all women, were declared dead at the scene, as were an 8-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy.

The driver, a 45-year-old woman, was undergoing surgery at Jamaica Hospital, said Joann Ariola of the hospital’s public affairs department. She said a 7-year-old boy was in stable condition in the pediatric emergency room, and a man was in stable condition and likely to be treated and soon released. Police said that man was 26 years old.

No identifications have been released.