5 Die in ‘Catastrophic’ Crash That Splits Car in Half
Yonkers was recently the scene of a tragic accident involving fatalities. Four recent high school graduates from Yonkers, N.Y., were killed when a speeding driver collided with their car. The surveillance video shows a car that streaked across the avenue like a comet and then burst into flames as it collided with an oncoming sedan, splitting it clean in half. In the sedan were four 18-year-old men, recent high school graduates and residents of Yonkers, in Westchester County, where the crash took place late on Tuesday. All four died at the scene, Yonkers police officials said. The driver of the speeding car, a 36-year-old man, was extricated from his 2009 Infiniti and transported to a trauma center, where he died from his injuries. Our Westchester wrongful death lawyers who handle car accident fatality cases, know all too well the tragic results that occur when drivers drive recklessly.
Shortly before the crash, the police had observed the 2009 Infiniti, which was moving erratically in the area of South Broadway and Prospect Street in Yonkers, and tried to stop it in front of Riverdale Avenue. The driver briefly pulled over, but then immediately accelerated “beyond reckless speeds” on the avenue as it approached the intersection at Culver Street, the police said. At the same time, a silver Nissan, occupied by the four young men, was entering the intersection. The speeding car collided with the Nissan, “resulting in catastrophic damage to both vehicles,” a statement from the police adding: “The force of the impact split the Nissan in half.” It is worth noting that the driver's reckless behavior, also put the police officers who were pursuing him at risk for injuries, even death.
The speeding driver, Mr. Haywood, had a criminal history. In 2018, he pleaded guilty to a felony drug possession charge after police found him hiding a bag of cocaine in his sock, according to court records. He was sentenced to a year in the Westchester County jail.
Under the New York Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 1212, reckless driving is defined by any driver who operates a vehicle in any manner that interferes with the safety and public usage of highways and roadways. Reckless driving is prohibited in New York and can be charged with a misdemeanor along with other moving traffic violations such as speeding, endangerment, and even vehicular manslaughter.
People who are charged with reckless driving are often associated with a risk-taking type of personality and display a serious disregard for the safety of others. Reckless driving and personal injury go hand-in-hand due to the severe injuries that can be caused by the negligence of a reckless driver. Reckless drivers can force you off the road, make you overcompensate for their actions causing you to crash, or may act in an aggressive manner that causes you to rear-end them or get into another type of traffic accident. These serious offenders are a huge threat to the safety of drivers and pedestrians. If you have been hit, you deserve compensation and if a family member was tragically killed in a car accident, call our Westchester car accident and wrongful death attorneys.
Besides basic traffic violations, the state of New York can also issue other safety and traffic violations for those who are arrested for aggressive driving. If an accident occurred because of the aggressive driver, they may be charged with negligence, reckless driving, and speeding. If the accident caused the death of another person, the aggressive driver may also be charged with vehicular manslaughter or murder and can be facing years in jail, fines, and restitution towards the victim and the victim’s family.
The tragic accident was a reminder of the dangers of speeding. Four young lives were cut short by the recklessness of one individual. “Let this be a lesson to all who drive at excessive speeds — it not only puts your life at risk but also the innocent lives with whom you share the road.”
