On Feb. 27, a New York Police Department detective was killed by a wrong-way driver in Greenburgh. Police say the man was a Detective 1st Grade who was assigned to the Internal Affairs Bureau. At the time of the accident, the 46-year-old detective was off-duty.
According to a preliminary investigation, a 2011 Honda Civic was traveling the wrong direction in the southbound lanes when it struck a 2011 Honda Pilot head-on. On the morning of the accident, a report about a wrong-way driver on the Sprain Brook Parkway came in to the Hudson Valley Transportation Management Center at 3:52 a.m. At 3:57 a.m., troopers discovered that there had been an auto accident that was caused by the wrong-way driver near Route 100B.
The driver of the Pilot was killed in the crash while the 20-year-old driver of the Civic was taken to Westchester County Medical Center. The injured driver was reportedly placed in a medically induced coma and was listed in stable condition. A report that came out shortly after the accident indicated that marijuana and alcohol are believed to have been factors in the crash. It is unclear whether any criminal charges are being filed because of the accident.
A family that has lost a loved one in a similar accident might decide to file a wrongful death claim against the at-fault driver. Although criminal charges may be filed as well, the outcome of the criminal trial will not affect the family’s right to file a civil claim. If the driver at fault was impaired, the family may present toxicology test results as evidence in the wrongful death claim.
Source: Daily Voice, NYPD Detective Killed
