By Courtney Dentch
A Queens Village man was arrested on charges of drunk driving last weekend after his car struck a Jeep on the Laurelton Parkway, killing an 8-year-old Brooklyn boy, police said.
Alex Millien, 24, of 222-05 100th Drive was charged with driving while ability impaired when a breath sobriety test showed his blood alcohol content to be .08, the legal minimum for DWAI, police said.
Charges relating to the death of the boy, Andre Johnson, could be added police said.
Andre, his mother Carolyn Spence, 33, and his sister Paula Johnson, 17, were traveling west on Laurelton Parkway near Merrick Boulevard just before 11 p.m. Friday, police said. Millien, driving a Toyota sedan, was merging onto the westbound side of the highway, and tried to cross two lanes of traffic when he clipped Spence’s Jeep, police said. The Jeep struck the guardrail, causing it to flip over.
Andre was thrown from the Jeep and died a short time later at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park.
Spence and her daughter were taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in stable condition, police said.
After colliding with Spence’s Jeep, Millien’s Toyota struck a third car before coming to a stop, police said. The driver of the third car, Carmela Groll of Ozone Park, and her passenger both refused medical treatment, police said.
Millien and his brother Satchiel, 32, who was a passenger in the car, also refused medical treatment, police said.
Andre, his mother and sister were heading to their Flatbush home after returning from vacation when their Jeep was struck, police said. Spence had taken the family, including two other relatives on a three-day trip to Virginia that Tuesday.
Everyone in the Jeep was wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision, including Andre, but the boy slipped out of the restraint due to the force of the impact, police said.
Although information on how much alcohol Millien may have had was not released by the police, an average man weighing 170 pounds would need to consume more than four drinks in an hour on an empty stomach in order to achieve a blood alcohol content of .08, according to the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Web site.
Reach reporter Courtney Dentch by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com, or by phone at 229-0300, Ext. 138.
