An NYPD detective was killed in a wrong way crash in Westchester, according to recent reports.
The detective, 46-year-old Paul Duncan, was driving south on Sprain Brook Parkway when another driver heading the wrong way collided head-on into his SUV. Duncan was declared dead at the scene.
The driver who collided with Duncan was identified as 20-year-old Efren Moreano of Yonkers. Moreano was transported to Westchester Medical Center where he remains in a coma, according to police. Authorities did not offer a reason why Moreano may have been heading the wrong way.
Seriousness Of Wrong-Way Driving
Wrong way crashes are less common than other types of crashes but have a much higher rate of fatality and serious injury. Some wrong-way crashes garner a great deal of media attention. For example, New York made national news in 2009 when an intoxicated motorist driving the wrong way on the Tacaonic State Parkway killed eight people.
Wrong-way driving is especially frightening, as it causes head-on collisions. Head-on collisions are particularly severe as the impact is sum of the speed of the two traveling vehicles. In other words, if two cars are each traveling 30mph at the time of a head-on collision, the equivalent impact is 60mph to each vehicle. Even at relatively low speeds, such a crash is often fatal.
Severity Of Head-On Collisions
Even if no one is killed in a head-on collision, there are often very serious injuries. Common injuries from head-on collisions are:
-Second- and third-degree burns
-Serious cuts from broken glass
-Major back injuries
-Serious neck injuries
-Compound fractures
-Traumatic brain injury or TBI
Many of these injuries leave the victim with life-long physical and mental disabilities. People are no longer able to perform the same job-related functions they managed easily before the accident and suffer major income loss. Meanwhile, those same victims are burdened with very expensive medical care, often for the rest of their lives.
I Was In A Injured By A Motorist Driving The Wrong Way. What Should I Do?
If you or a member of your family suffered grievous bodily harm as the result of a wrong-way collision, you need may help to fight for your rights. The attorneys at the Fitzgerald Law Firm in New York are ready to help you hold the driver who injured you responsible and collect monetary damages for your injuries. Contact us today for a free consultation about your case.