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Read the press release here.

Queens Man Held on $350K Bail in Crash that Killed Vietnam Vet

By Trevor Kapp | July 11, 2012 7:02pm
The scene at the Grand Central Parkway on Tuesday, July 10, 2012, where Frank Avino was killed.
The scene at the Grand Central Parkway on Tuesday, July 10, 2012, where Frank Avino was killed.
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DNAinfo/Tuan Nguyen

NEW YORK — The Queens driver who mowed down a 63-year-old Vietnam veteran on the Grand Central Parkway on Tuesday had a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit at the time of the accident, the Queens District Attorney's office announced Wednesday.

Munshi Abdullah, 26, had a blood alcohol level of .21 at the time of the crash, according to the DA's office. The legal limit in New York is .08.

Abdullah also allegedly told police he had been drinking from midnight to 3 a.m. on Tuesday, and that he decided to drive the Audi because his friends were too drunk.

“The defendant is accused of getting behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol and striking and killing a hardworking family man," Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said in a statement. "By his alleged actions, the defendant illustrated the lethal consequences resulting from driving while intoxicated.”

The accident took place around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, when the 2002 Audi A6 struck electrician Frank Avino, who was placing traffic cones on the road in preparation for work, prosecutors said. Avino then hit the windshield, flew into the air and landed on top of a nearby construction vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Abdullah was arraigned on Wednesday and ordered held on $350,000 bail. He has to return to court July 25. He could face up to 15 years in prison.