A 57-year-old woman tragically lost her life in a hit-and-run incident outside a social security office in Queens, authorities reported.
The victim, identified as Suzanne Schmeider, was crossing Jamaica Avenue, not at a crosswalk, near the facility at approximately 3 p.m. on Wednesday when she was struck by a dark-colored 2001 Lincoln LS, according to police accounts.
The driver of the sedan sped away from the scene, leaving Schmeider with critical injuries to her head and body, law enforcement officials confirmed.
Schmeider, who lived just over a mile from where the accident occurred, was declared deceased at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, officials stated.
“We are just trying to move forward,” said her daughter, Sydney, in an interview with The Post. “The investigation is ongoing, and the police are doing an excellent job.”
In response to the tragedy, Sydney has started a GoFundMe campaign to assist with her mother’s funeral costs.
“We hope to give my mother a proper celebration and honor the strong, independent and loving woman she was,” she wrote.
No arrests had been made in connection to the deadly crash by Friday.
One security guard told The Post he recalled seeing the car speeding by at the time of the broad-daylight crash.
“It blew through the light and hit the woman and hit a bus and kept going,” the worker said.
Another guard said he was coming back from lunch when he stumbled upon the disturbing scene.
“I saw the woman laying on the ground. I didn’t see any blood,” he said.
A single sneaker could be seen in the middle of the street in the aftermath.
A nearby store owner said it is very common to see people crossing mid-block while coming from or going from the social security office.
“People come in here and ask me where is the social security office,” he said. “I tell them it’s across the street and they want to cross and I say ‘No, cross at the light.’”
He said that motorists tend to zoom down Jamaica Avenue once they cross Parsons Boulevard.
“The street opens up, it’s wider and they think they are on the highway,” the owner added. “I feel bad and upset. I don’t want to see anybody die like that.”
Cars are not supposed to pass in that area at that time, sources said.
A Department of Transportation sign is posted on the corner, warning motorists, “Do not enter, except trucks and buses 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.”
The deadly hit-and-run comes about a week after a 4-year-old Brooklyn boy, Zachariah Padilla, was fatally struck by a motorist in a Ford SUV that fled the scene, cops said.
Padilla was walking near Linden Boulevard and Rockaway Parkway across the street from Brookdale University Hospital shortly after 11 a.m. when he broke off from his mom and darted into the street, where he was hit, authorities and sources said.
That driver had not been caught by Friday, police said.
