Car accident claims 1 life in New York

An 18-year-old woman is dead following a tragic accident in Latham, according to local police. The woman New York authorities say is responsible for the crash may have been drunk at the time of the car accident that claimed the young woman’s life. Accident reconstruction is still underway, and no new court date has yet been set in this case. 

The accident report is preliminary at this time, but it appears to confirm that a 41-year-old woman was headed eastbound when she collided with a vehicle also headed eastbound and driven by a 38-year-old woman. This impact sent the older woman’s vehicle into the oncoming lane, where she struck two more cars. The second vehicle was being driven by the victim. 

Several people were taken to local hospitals for treatment, as well as the 41-year-old woman herself. The 18-year-old driver died of her injuries. Police believe alcohol was a factor in this crash, and officials are waiting on toxicology reports to corroborate that belief. The 41-year-old woman is currently free on $75,000 bail. 

The tragedy of this car accident cannot be overstated, as the loss of a young person to such a senseless crime as DUI is perhaps even more devastating than a crash that truly was an accident. New York authorities will pursue this matter and file criminal charges if appropriate. The family of the deceased woman is also entitled to file its own charges in civil court, in this case for wrongful death. Police evidence can be used to support such a civil case. 

Source: CBS Albany, “Police arrest woman, charged after four car crash that killed a Waterford teen“, Hubert Wiggins, Oct. 11, 2016