Orange County man arrested in fatal Co-op City hit-and-run

Police say Vincent Francis, 62, was charged for allegedly striking 76-year-old Lola Blair with a dump truck and fleeing the scene of the accident on March 7.

News 12 Staff

Mar 24, 2022, 12:09 PM

Updated 991 days ago

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A Orange County man has been arrested in connection to the Co-op City hit-and-run that killed 76-year-old Lola Blair earlier this month.
Police say Monroe resident Vincent Francis, 62, was charged Wednesday for allegedly striking Blair with a dump truck on March 7 while she was crossing Einstein Loop at the Hutchinson River Parkway and then fleeing the scene.
At the time of the accident, police said Francis never stopped, leaving them wondering if he realized he struck Francis while making a left turn onto Einstein Loop North.
The scene of the accident was just steps away from the high-rise apartments of Co-op City and a shopping center, and area residents told News 12 that the area is notorious for pedestrian hazards.
Public records at the time indicated that in the five years prior to Blair's death, 14 people had been reported injured at the intersection, with five of them being pedestrians. Blair was the first person killed at the intersection since the Vision Zero map started tracking traffic-related fatalities and injuries.
Francis has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, failure to yield to a pedestrian, and failure to exercise due care resulting in a serious injury, according to police.