Wrong-way car accident kills 2 in New York

A serious accident in Staten Island has left two people dead, according to local sources. The car accident happened on the morning of March 20 on the West Shore Expressway. Preliminary investigation by the New York Police Department has revealed the accident was apparently precipitated by a wrong-way driver who may have worked for the Linden Police Department. 

According to the accident report, the unidentified driver of a passenger vehicle was traveling north in the southbound lanes of the expressway when the accident occurred. It is unclear why the driver was traveling against the flow of traffic while carrying three other people. In total, three police officers and one civilian employee of the department were in the car when the crash occurred. It appears the  officers were off duty. 

The car struck a tractor trailer head-on, and the force of the impact demolished the car. Two of the individuals in the car were pronounced dead at the scene, and two others were rushed to local hospitals for treatment. The condition of the tractor-trailer driver is unknown at this time. The identities of those involved have not been released by police at this time, pending notification of the families. 

This bizarre car accident will require more investigation before New York authorities can close the book on what happened. While other mitigating factors might be present, it appears the driver of the car was in the wrong as the vehicle was traveling on the wrong side of the roadway. If this is proven to be true, the families of the deceased and any injured parties will be entitled to file civil lawsuits against the driver, or the driver’s estate in the case that the driver was killed in the crash. Wrongful death and personal injury suits do not need a criminal conviction to succeed in civil court, provided appropriate evidence of driver negligence directly pertaining to the accident exists. 

Source: pix11.com, “Two dead after apparent wrong-way crash on Staten Island“, Christopher Brito and Samantha Tata, March 20, 2015