Astoria Driver Arrested After Crash That Killed Mom Karina Larino

ASTORIA, QUEENS — A month after a crash near Astoria Park that left a 38-year-old pedestrian dead, police have arrested the driver for failing to yield, the NYPD said.

Panagiota Arvanitopoulos, 73, was arrested Wednesday on charges of failure to yield the right of way and failure to exercise due care, police said. Arvanitopoulos lives just a few blocks away from the site of the crash, at 21st Street and Astoria Park South.

Karina Larino, a mother of one and a longtime MTA bus worker, was crossing 21st Street around 10 p.m. on May 6 when she was struck by Arvanitopoulos, who was turning a Honda Element SUV onto 21st.

Larino was found with trauma to the head and body. She was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital, but could not be saved. She lived just steps away, on 21st Street.

Arvanitopoulos stayed at the scene and was not initially charged, as police claimed Larino had been crossing outside the crosswalk.

The driver was initially identified by police as a woman, but the NYPD described Arvanitopoulos as male on Wednesday.

At the time of her death, Larino was an assistant stock worker at the MTA's LaGuardia Depot in Jackson Heights, according to the Transport Workers Union, which said she had worked for the agency since 2005.

"She was loved and respected by all," the union said in a statement. "And will be sorely missed."

Related coverage: Mom Fatally Hit By Driver While Crossing Astoria Street: NYPD