Former New York police officer dead in tragic car accident

A former New York Police Department officer and breast cancer survivor is tragically dead following a serious car crash in Brooklyn, according to local sources. The 56-year-old woman, a 25-year-veteran of the NYPD, was the victim of a hit-and-run car accident the night of Nov. 26. The driver responsible for the crash has been taken into custody and will likely face charges. 

According to the accident report, the woman was getting back into her vehicle after purchasing the Daily News around 7:15 p.m. when she was struck by a vehicle driven by a 24-year-old man. The driver fled the scene of the accident, leaving the woman injured in the street. She was later pronounced dead. 

The accident was precipitated by the driver, who smashed into a vehicle stopped at a stop light before striking the victim. The force of that initial impact led to a chain-reaction accident involving several other cars. The man, who has a history of mental illness, was eventually caught by police after attempting to carjack another vehicle, and he has since been hospitalized. He is charged with second-degree manslaughter, and more charges may be forthcoming. 

Considering the reports of this case, the driver’s mental health may play a role in the coming criminal proceedings. New York state law allows the family of the deceased woman to file a wrongful death lawsuit against him and any other party with an ownership interest in the vehicle he was operating at the time of the tragic car accident. If issues exist regarding the driver’s insurance coverage, the family may be entitled to financial relief under any uninsured or underinsured provisions of the victim’s own insurance policies.

Source: New York Daily News, “Victim of fatal Thanksgiving hit and run was retired NYPD officer, breast cancer survivor“, Chelsia Rose Marcius, Anton K. Nillson, Larry McShane, Nov. 27, 2015