Queens, NY (October 4, 2026) – Arianna Arregui, 23, died after she was ejected from the backseat of a car that flipped on the Grand Central Parkway, according to the NYPD. The driver, Anthony Dickson, 34, now faces a vehicular manslaughter charge.
Police said Dickson was driving a gray Honda Accord in the westbound lanes around 4 a.m. on October 4 when the car struck a wall and then a light pole. The impact caused the Accord to flip. The NYPD said Dickson had been driving while impaired.
Medics transported Arregui to Elmhurst Hospital, where she did not survive, police said. According to addresses provided by police, both Arregui and Dickson appeared to live in Brooklyn.
Dickson was arrested a short time after the crash, according to police. In addition to vehicular manslaughter, he is charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs.
Three other passengers were reportedly in the car at the time of the crash. None of them suffered major injuries.
The westbound lanes of the Grand Central Parkway stayed closed for several hours while police investigated.
This is a developing story. Details may change as the investigation continues.
What Families Can Do After a Fatal Car Crash in New York
The NYC Department of Transportation recorded 205 traffic deaths citywide in 2025, the fewest since record-keeping began in 1910. Queens accounted for 57 of those deaths, down from 74 in 2024, according to the same DOT year-end release. Each of those numbers left a family with paperwork, phone calls, and decisions to make in the first weeks.
- Request the NYPD crash report number and the contact for the detective assigned to the case. You will need both for insurance and estate filings.
- Ask in writing that the vehicle not be repaired, released, or salvaged until it can be inspected.
- Send written notice to the no-fault insurer within 30 days of the crash, which puts the deadline at November 3, 2026. No-fault medical and death benefits can depend on it.
- Order several certified copies of the death certificate. Banks, insurers, and the Surrogate’s Court each ask for one, so order extras the first time.
- Choose one family member to take every insurance call, and decline recorded statements until you have advice.
- Keep receipts for funeral, burial, and hospital costs in one folder, and stay off social media about the crash.
When an Impaired Driver Causes a Fatal Crash in New York
A criminal charge and a civil claim move on separate tracks. Prosecutors decide what happens with the charges. The family decides whether to pursue a civil case, and it does not have to wait for a verdict to start one. The civil standard of proof is also lower than the criminal one.
When a passenger dies, New York law allows two claims. The wrongful death claim, filed by the estate’s personal representative, covers the family’s financial losses, such as lost support, lost household services, and funeral costs. The survival claim covers the pain the person suffered before death and her medical bills.
Insurance limits often decide what a family can actually collect. New York’s minimum auto liability coverage is $50,000 per person for a death and $100,000 per accident (Vehicle and Traffic Law § 311). A minimum policy rarely covers a young adult’s lost lifetime support and services, which is why every available policy gets checked, including the household policies of the passenger’s own family.
Passengers do not control how a car is driven, so fault questions in these cases center on the driver. A passenger can bring a claim against the driver of the car she was riding in, paid through that driver’s liability policy.
- Who may be liable: the driver, and the vehicle’s owner if that is a different person (Vehicle and Traffic Law § 388). If the driver’s policy falls short, a family’s own supplementary uninsured/underinsured motorist (SUM) coverage may apply.
- Evidence that decides it: toxicology results, the NYPD crash report, the car’s event data recorder, and statements from the other people in the vehicle.
- If fault is disputed: under CPLR § 1411(b), effective May 26, 2026, a claimant in a motor vehicle case cannot recover when her share of fault equals or exceeds the combined fault of the defendants.
- Deadlines: a wrongful death claim must be filed within two years of the date of death (EPTL § 5-4.1), so by October 4, 2028. The survival claim and any injury claims by the other passengers fall under the three-year rule in CPLR § 214, which runs to October 4, 2029. A pending criminal case can extend the wrongful death window, but no family should plan around that extension.
Questions About a Fatal Car Accident Claim in Queens? Talk to Frekhtman & Associates
Most families who call us after a fatal car crash in Queens ask two things first. Can we afford a lawyer right now, and does this have to wait until the criminal case ends? You pay nothing up front, and you owe no fee unless we recover for you. The civil claim can start now, while the evidence is still fresh.
Frekhtman & Associates has represented injured New Yorkers and grieving families for more than 25 years. Founding attorney Arkady Frekhtman holds a 9.8 Superb rating on Avvo and was named to the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 in 2017. Our team of car crash lawyers in Queens has won a $69,225,000 auto accident jury verdict, one of the largest in New York State history.
From the first call, we take the insurer’s calls off your hands, send preservation letters for the vehicle and its data, and build the wrongful death and survival claims together. We also help the family get a personal representative appointed through Surrogate’s Court, since the wrongful death claim cannot be filed without one. If you cannot come to us, we come to you, at home or at the hospital. Clients rate us 4.8 stars across more than 155 Google reviews.
Queens families weighing who should handle a fatal car crash claim usually want proof before promises. Here is the record Frekhtman & Associates puts behind every case:
- $900M+ recovered for injured New York clients across more than 25 years of practice
- $69,225,000 auto accident jury verdict, one of the largest in New York State history
- Free 24/7 consultations, including home and hospital visits for clients unable to travel
- Personal callbacks from founding attorney Arkady Frekhtman
- Russian-language services available
- Zero fees unless we win your case
- Queens office in Forest Hills, serving families across the borough
- $2,000,000 wrongful death result
Our Queens office is at 100-09 Metropolitan Ave, Forest Hills, NY 11375. Call 866-821-0718 any time, visit us in person, or share what happened through our contact form, and an attorney will call you back.
