A New York City driver is accused of fatally striking a 75-year-old woman

subway

by Amanda Woods

A pickup truck driver who allegedly ran over a 75-year-old woman using a walker to cross a Queens street last month has been charged with criminally negligent homicide in her death, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Ronnie Zeno, 27, is accused of hitting Linda Lee Hirsch with his 2020 Dodge Ram at the corner of Route 60 and Fresh Pond Road in Ridgewood at about 11 a.m. on Oct. 11, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office.

Hirsch, of Seal, Alabama, underwent surgery at Elmhurst Hospital Center but could not be saved.

Police said she died of her injuries on October 20, and her death was ruled a homicide.

Zeno also faces charges of failure to yield priority, failure to signal, failure to exercise due care and reckless driving, and could face up to four years in prison, if convicted, prosecutors said.

“We have seen too often the tragic results of reckless driving when motorists ignore the rules of the road,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement.

“Anyone behind the wheel must follow the law, including yielding to pedestrians,” she added. “We will hold this defendant accountable for his actions.”

Prosecutors said video surveillance of the fatal collision showed Zeno stopped his truck at a red light at the corner of Route 60 and Fresh Pond Road.

Once the light turned green, he waited about seven seconds before turning north onto Fresh Pond Road, where he struck Hirsch — who had the right of way and was using a walker, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Prosecutors said the collision caused the old woman to fall and hit her head on the sidewalk, which ultimately led to her death nine days later.

Zeno, of Flushing, remained at the scene after the collision and was not injured during the ordeal, police said.

The New York Police arrested him on Monday morning.

Queens Supreme Court Justice Stephanie Zarrow ordered Zeno held on $75,000 bail while he was arraigned on the indictment in Queens Criminal Court on Tuesday.

He must return to court on December 8.