A citizen of Uzbekistan has died following a traffic accident in New York City. The incident occurred on March 10 and resulted in the death of 31-year-old Nilufar Komilova, according to Uzbekistan’s state news agency Dunyo.
Preliminary information cited by the agency indicates that the accident involved a dump truck operated by the New York City Department of Transportation. The crash took place in the Kew Gardens neighborhood in the borough of Queens.
Police told the New York Daily News that Komilova was struck by a yellow Mack dump truck as it made a right turn from Metropolitan Avenue onto Lefferts Boulevard shortly before 9 a.m. She died at the scene.
Akobir Azizov, described as a close family friend, told the newspaper that Komilova had just taken her seven-year-old daughter to school and was walking home when the accident occurred about two blocks from her apartment.
“She usually takes Lefferts Boulevard,” Azizov said. “She always followed traffic rules. She would wait for the signal to cross the street.”
Komilova is survived by two children, a three-year-old son and a seven-year-old daughter. Azizov said relatives have struggled to explain the tragedy to them.
According to the report, Komilova’s husband, who works as a driver for the ride-hailing service Uber, became aware of the accident after trying unsuccessfully to contact her.
Uzbek officials said the Consulate General of Uzbekistan in New York is in regular contact with the family and is providing consular and legal assistance. The diplomatic mission has also expressed condolences.
The incident follows another fatal traffic accident involving an Uzbek national earlier this year. On February 5, an 11-year-old girl from Uzbekistan was struck by a school bus in the Bath Beach neighborhood of Brooklyn and later died at Maimonides Medical Center.
In February, Uzbekistan introduced amendments to its law “On Burial and Funeral Services,” published on the government legal portal Lex.uz. The changes allow state financial assistance for transporting the remains of Uzbek citizens who die abroad, a measure aimed at easing the financial burden on migrant families.
