NEW YORK (VINnews)-The husband of a Jewish woman killed in a Queens car crash is calling for closer scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding her death after the driver was separately charged with a hate crime involving vandalism at a Jewish-owned business.

Michael Trager said this week that the recent hate crime charges against Dawood Faisal, 22, warrant a deeper look into the May 25 incident that claimed the life of his wife, Cara Trager, 71.

Cara Trager, a journalist and longtime member of the Hollis Hills Jewish community, was fatally injured when a vehicle driven by Faisal struck two cars, sending one into a crosswalk where it hit the couple. Prosecutors said Faisal was traveling more than 75 mph in a 35-mph zone and ran two red lights before the collision. He allegedly fled on foot before bystanders detained him.

Cara Trager suffered severe head trauma and died four days later. Michael Trager sustained a shoulder injury, hand lacerations and facial bruising.

A Queens grand jury indicted Faisal in June on charges including second-degree manslaughter, assault, leaving the scene of a crash and reckless driving. He pleaded not guilty. He has not been charged with a hate crime in connection with the fatal crash.

On July 31, the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force arrested Faisal and charged him with multiple counts of criminal mischief as a hate crime linked to separate incidents at Bagels & Co., a Jewish-owned kosher bagel shop in Queens that displayed Israeli flags and banners. The alleged vandalism occurred before the crash, according to reports. The shop is in the same general area as the collision.

The Trager family has questioned whether the fatal incident might have been prevented if authorities had addressed Faisal’s earlier alleged actions more effectively.

Michael Trager said he does not believe his wife was specifically targeted. However, he noted that the area is heavily Jewish. “If you’re going to do that kind of act in that area, at that time, you’re more than likely, if you’re going to kill somebody, to kill a Jew,” he said.

Trager described regaining consciousness after the crash and checking that he was still alive before realizing the extent of his wife’s injuries. “I couldn’t believe it happened because I didn’t do anything wrong,” he said. “We were crossing the street, and next thing I know, I’m on the ground with my wife.”

He also recalled seeing Faisal’s mother crying at the arraignment and wondering whether her tears were for her son or for the life that had been lost.