Woman killed when SUV crashed into retaining wall in Uniondale, police say

A woman died early Saturday morning in Uniondale after she lost control of her sport utility vehicle which jumped a curb and slammed into a retaining wall, Nassau County police said.

The unidentified 37-year-old driver was eastbound on Stewart Avenue shortly after midnight when her 2016 Nissan Rogue veered off the road at the intersection with Selfridge Avenue, according to authorities.

Police said Saturday evening that an investigation into the crash was underway.

Felix Martinez, a valet parking attendant who works at The Cuban restaurant across the street from the crash, said that he rushed to the wreckage and tried to communicate with the driver, who he said was wearing a sweatshirt that said, "Antisocial Nightclub."

"I come to the car with a work friend. We came to the door of the car and we tried to talk to her, but she didn’t answer. Her eyes were closed," Martinez said. "After the police came, she moved. The police put the lady on the floor and they tried first aid, but she didn’t make it."

“That’s the first time I saw. It’s sad. I thought my God, my God, it’s so sad," he said. “I don’t know if she had a kid. There was a child seat in the back.”

Caroline Barucci, a manager at The Cuban, said drivers frequently speed up at the intersection to try to make it through before the traffic light turns red. She also said weather conditions may have played a role in the wreck.

“Sometimes they try to beat the light. It’s sad. It was slick, you still had some rain out there,” Barucci said.

Nassau County Police Department paramedics took the driver via ambulance to a hospital where she was pronounced dead, according to police. Their investigation is ongoing.