QUEENS — The hit-and-run driver who struck a pedestrian Sunday night in Forest Hills, told police she fled the scene because she panicked after her 7-year-old son, who was also in the car, started crying, according to court documents.
The incident took place around 9:40 p.m. on Union Turnpike, between Woodhaven Boulevard and 71st Avenue, near a Stop & Shop.
The 30-year-old man, of Great Neck, was crossing the street when Milan Aracena, 47, hit him in her Honda Pilot which was heading eastbound on Union Turnpike, police said.
Aracena took off without stopping, authorities said.
Aracena turned herself into the 112th Precinct earlier this week, and told police that after she hit the victim, her 7-year-old son, who was in the car with her, began to cry, which caused her to panic and flee without reporting the incident, according to the criminal complaint.
The victim, who sustained severe head trauma, multiple broken bones to his face and a fractured pelvis, was taken to Jamaica Hospital in critical condition and placed on a ventilator, according to police and the criminal complaint.
Police said Wednesday that the victim's condition has since been upgraded from critical to serious.
Aracena, who was charged with leaving the scene of an incident without reporting resulting in serious physical injury, was released after posting $7,500 bail. She is due back in court on Oct. 8, according to the Queens District Attorney’s office.
Information about Aracena’s attorney was not immediately available.
