Bodega owner sues after funeral crash

Saketav McGhee-Mack of Springfield Gardens was traveling northbound on Guy R. Brewer Boulevard and making a left turn onto 144th Avenue in a 2006 Buick minivan when she collided with a limousine leading a funeral procession, sending it careening into the bodega, according to the police report. The impact caused McGhee-Mack’s car to spin around and strike a third vehicle, a Ford Expedition. Thirteen people were injured in the crash, the report said.

Kaur is suing all three drivers, Owens Funeral Home, owner of the limo, and Utopia Leasing Inc., which owns the Ford.

The New York Post, however, detailed the series of events differently, reporting that the McGhee-Mack minivan hit the SUV, which then struck the funeral limo and sent it crashing into the bodega.

Kaur, who was sweeping the steps in front of the store, the Mega Mini Market at 144-12 Guy R. Brewer Blvd., at the time of the accident, was hit by the limo and landed on its hood, Shapiro said.

“She is so injured that she can’t take care of her children,” Shapiro said Tuesday. “Her husband has to work at the store seven days a week.”

Kaur’s three children — ages 5, 8 and 11 — were at their home above the store at the time of the crash, and “within the zone of danger,” Shapiro said. They sustained psychological trauma and are afraid to go near the demolished staircase, a place where they used to leave their shoes, he said, adding that, they too are seeking treatment.

The funeral procession was traveling to Pinelawn Cemetery on Long Island carrying the body of Delores Godfrey, 94. Several of her relatives were among those injured in the crash. Neither they nor McGhee-Mack could be reached for comment.