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The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Family of Grandmother who Died in Fatal LIE Crash is 'Doing OK'

By Mary Johnson | June 4, 2012 5:27pm
Suzanne Nicholson, 60, was among two people who died in a fatal accident on the Long Island Expressway on Saturday, June 2, 2012. She was found wrapped around her 11-year-old grandson, who is still recovering at a hospital in Queens.
Suzanne Nicholson, 60, was among two people who died in a fatal accident on the Long Island Expressway on Saturday, June 2, 2012. She was found wrapped around her 11-year-old grandson, who is still recovering at a hospital in Queens.
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QUEENS — The family of a Utah grandmother who died in a tragic car crash on the Long Island Expressway over the weekend is “doing OK,” while her grandson, who was injured in the accident, continues to recover at Elmhurst Hospital.

Suzanne Nicholson, 60, was among two people who died in the accident, which took place near the Maurice Avenue exit around 12:30 Saturday morning. Nicholson was reportedly found with her body wrapped around her 11-year-old grandson, Gabriel Larsen, who ultimately survived the crash.

“Of course it was shocking,” said Nicholson’s daughter, Ashley Steel, in a phone interview with DNAinfo.com New York. “But she would do anything for her grandkids. They’ve always been her No. 1 priority.”

Cab driver Mohamed Hussain, 46, and a father of two, also died in the crash.

The night of the accident was stormy and rainy, and Nicholson and her grandson had just arrived in New York for a vacation. They were in a cab heading to their hotel when their taxi ran into a Porsche 911 in front of it. The cab went spinning and landed in the path of a truck, which was unable to stop before colliding with the taxi.

Both Nicholson, mother of three and grandmother of seven, and Hussain were transported to Elmhurst Hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

Police said no criminality was suspected in the incident.

Steel, 30, said the family wouldn’t comment on the status of Gabriel Larsen.

But she said Nicholson loved New York City and made a habit of taking annual trips to the Big Apple.

“She’s always just loved it,” Steel said. “She just loves the people.”  

Steel said no funeral or memorial arrangements have been made and that the family is waiting to hear more about Larsen’s condition.

“We’re just trying to just deal with everything,” Steel said. “We’re just trying to do our best.”