Psycho driver just passing through

First, thank GOD no one was injured during the event I am about to relay. It was pretty freakin scary :o(

Yesterday was such a beautiful day. For the first time this year, the husband and I sat out on our front stoop in the late afternoon to soak up the sun. Around 4pm, our lazy Sunday afternoon was interrupted by a thunderous boom. We looked in the direction of the noise just in time to see a light-colored minivan speed down the block and disappear from view. We walked midway down 74th Street to see what had happened. A car that was parked on 74th Street had been hit, BADLY: the entire left front of the car was busted off. It had been pushed up onto the sidewalk, and, we would later learn from the car's owner, had been moved backwards about 3 feet. This was no casual car to car encounter (which I've seen plenty of in the tightly packed streets of Elmhurst, and which usually result in a dent at worst). The damage was unbelievable- I mean, the driver really had to have been speeding or driving under the influence; either way, he is a criminal, and it's terrifying to think that he may be on the road still.

The crash was so loud that it sounded more like an explosion. I think that people tend to tune out normal collisions (ie, those that result in dents), but this didn't even sound like car to car action; it really did sound like an actual BOOM. Thus, many neighbors came running out of their homes to see what had happened, including the car's owner.

There was a woman on the sidewalk very close to the parked/impacted car when the crash happened. Thank God she wasn't injured! She ran down the block after the driver and managed to get his license plate number, which was very awesome of her. [The way she sprang into action reminds me of the horrible, deadly hit and run in February: a woman in a nearby car who witnessed the accident chased the fleeing vehicle and, thanks to her, the police were able to apprehend the deadly driver right away. See, there ARE good people in the world still!]

The woman who witnessed yesterday's collision said that the driver actually stopped at the light on the corner of Woodside and 74th. When he did so, she saw him turn around to look at the destruction he'd caused, and SMILE!

The fact that this dude was such a bad driver made me think that maybe he isn't used to driving (maybe he had just stolen a car?), and maybe he doesn't even have a license at all. But I quickly dismissed that reasoning, since by now I know that a great many people in the city of NY who have drivers' licenses do not actually know how to drive, and/or do not take it seriously enough to not drive distractedly (texting/talking on the phone), or while inebriated. But when I heard the witness's account of the driver smiling, I returned to my initial guess that he had just stolen a car. I mean, if he was driving his own car, having just caused major damage would have freaked him out... not necessarily because he felt bad for what he'd done, but because he'd be afraid that he would get in trouble, or at the very least, that his insurance company would find out.

The car's owner called 911 several times, and a couple of policemen showed up eventually. The witness gave the cops the license plate number, and we all emphasized that the person who took off the front section of a parked car is a danger to fellow drivers as well as pedestrians. I don't know what happened. I sure hope they tracked down the driver and arrested his ass.

Dear readers, especially fellow Elmhurst/Woodside residents: Do not assume that people behind the wheel know (or care) how to drive safely! Don't take chances trying to dodge cars/cross against the light. Meth/cocaine/crack/stupidity/etc make drivers do reckless things. Please be careful, everyone!!

Anyway, again, I thank GOD that no one was injured!