Fatal Accidents
Violent Work Zone Death of New York City Laborer Makes Headline News
Speeding driver thought he had hit a barrel, according to a media account
The death of union laborer Isabel Alvarez was a front-page story in the New York Daily News, where the suspect's comments to police about the hit-and-run work zone death captured the attention of the tabloid editors.
Isabel Alvarez, a 44-year-old laborers' union member and flagger on a New York City highway construction project, was struck and killed by a speeding hit-and-run motorist in the early morning of Sept. 19. The violence with which she died—a city prosecutor said Alvarez was "thrown approximately 168 ft" by the force of the collision—may be one reason her death was on the cover of the New York Daily News.
Another may be the comments attributed by police and local prosecutors to 25-year-old Daveanand Budhai, arrested in connection with the collision. He was found one mile from the work site where he had called for an ambulance to treat hand injuries suffered in the impact.
According to one media account of the criminal complaint against Budhai, he allegedly told police that he was speeding and “to be honest, I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings. I (had) just woke up. I was in a rush. I was in a rush because I wanted to get something to eat from Dunkin’ Donuts.”
Budhai also told police he thought he hit a barrel and blacked out and didn’t see Alvarez or the construction “until the last minute,” according to another account of the criminal complaint.
The city's prosecutor charged him with manslaughter, assault, reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident.
Officials of laborers' union Local 731, of which Alvarez was a member, could not immediately be reached to confirm her direct employer, nor was the nature of the work being performed immediately clear.
But Alvarez was flagging traffic on a ramp from the Nassau Expressway leading to the Van Wyck Expressway, in the borough of Queens.
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Construction work zone accidents are a perennial problem, averaging until recently about 140 per year in the U.S., but down in 2023 to 88, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. It noted in a March report that "the highway and bridge construction sector is making measured progress in reducing worker deaths and injuries compared to the broader construction industry."
The industry has been reducing jobsite hazards, providing safety training, enhancing public awareness of work zones and adopting new technologies, the group reported.
The crash occurred at 7:28 a.m. The crew was working on the exit ramp, and the left lane was closed and marked with multiple traffic drums and signage, the city prosecutor said. The posted speed for the ramp was 25 miles per hour.
Victim Held 'Stop/Slow' Paddle
Alvarez was holding a “STOP/SLOW” paddle in the construction area while wearing her required safety equipment, including a hard hat and fluorescent reflective visibility vest.
Budhai drove into the traffic drums before allegedly striking Alvarez, the prosecutor said. After the collision, he drove one mile away and allegedly called 911 to request an ambulance for his injuries.
Budhai's sedan, the prosecutor alleged, had "significant front-end damage, including a shattered windshield that appeared to be broken open. Blood and glass were inside the vehicle as well as fluorescent marks on the hood and roof of the vehicle."
Alvarez' mother told the Daily News that her daughter had expressed worries about being struck by a car while on the job.
An Instagram post by laborer's Local 731 noted Alvarez's passing. "Losing a member on the job is the hardest news we can share," it said.
