Victims identified in New York car accident

A two-car crash on Jan. 16 sent one person to the hospital via airlift, according to local law enforcement sources. Local New York police responded to the car accident shortly after 11:30 a.m. One man was seriously hurt and two other people were also treated for injuries. Police have asked for witnesses to the crash to come forward, but as of this report, no charges have yet been filed. 

Authorities have reported that a 55-year-old man was traveling east around 11:30 before crossing over the center line into the westbound lane. This caused him to crash head-on into a westbound vehicle carrying two individuals, a 44-year-old female driver and her 16-year-old female passenger. The state Accident Construction Team was on site shortly thereafter to determine the cause of the crash, upon which they have not yet concluded. 

The male driver was seriously injured and was airlifted to a local hospital. The two women involved in the crash were taken to a separate hospital, where their injuries were described as not life-threatening. For the moment, police do not know what caused the man to cross the center line, but their investigation is ongoing as of this report. 

In an investigation of this type, no stone is left unturned in determining the cause of the car accident. If it is revealed that the male driver was behaving recklessly or in a negligent manner, contributing in a meaningful way to the accident, he could yet face criminal charges. However, New York state law says that even if no criminal charges are filed, the injured parties can make a case for themselves in civil court. A personal injury suit does not require criminal charges, but it does require evidence of negligence on the part of the other driver. 

Source: riverheadnewsreview.timesreview.com, “Update: Sound Avenue car crash victims identified“, Joe Werkmeister, Jan. 17, 2016