Deadly crash prompts investigation into snow removal protocols on Long Island Expressway

Police are investigating whether snowplow practices were properly followed after a crash killed a Queens man on the Long Island Expressway earlier this month.

Carlos Astimbay, 50, was driving a Toyota Camry on Feb. 6 westbound near Exit 22 in Flushing. He collided with the center median before being hit by a tractor-trailer.

Astimbay, a married father of two and a livery cab driver, was killed. His family remembers him as a devoted father who would do anything to help his loved ones.

"Serious operational failures"

Fernando Mateo, a spokesperson for The New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers, said the tragedy could have been prevented.

He said snow that should have been cleared safely onto the shoulder was pushed back into active lanes of traffic. 

"If that is true, then this was not just negligence; it was a reckless failure that created dangerous conditions on a major expressway," he said in a statement.

"We want answers from the New York City Department of Sanitation. If snow and ice were improperly plowed back onto the roadway, we demand an explanation for how this was allowed to happen. Our sources point to serious operational failures, and if those failures cost a life, someone must be held accountable. The NYSFTD will not back down until there is full transparency, responsibility and justice," Mateo said.

Police investigating snowplow practices

An attorney for Astimbay's family said they believe snowplow practices may have played a significant role in the deadly accident. 

A supervisor for the Sanitation Department, the agency responsible for plowing the expressway, has since been suspended, sources told CBS News New York.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he couldn't comment on the deadly crash since it is under investigation.