New York Teen Car Crash Kills 4, Cuts Car in Half
A car accident along Long Island parkway left four adult teen passengers dead and the driver injured Monday morning on Columbus Day. The vehicle veered off the road and smashed against a group of trees, which tore the vehicle in half. Witnesses say that it is the worst accident they have seen in a long time on that stretch of road that claims at least one serious accident per year.
For a teen to begin driving in the U.S., they typically have to follow a process where they acquire a learner’s permit first, which allows them to drive a vehicle as long as another licensed driver over a certain age (usually 25) is in the vehicle and is in a position to take control of the vehicle if needed. Then after they pass a DMV driver’s exam, they are handed a license.
According to New York State police the driver of the vehicle, a seventeen-year-old, had a learners’ permit at the time of the accident and was not fully licensed. The Baltimore Sun reported that the accident happened on the westbound Southern State Parkway happened at about 4 a.m. when the driver failed to negotiate a curve. The vehicle drifted uncontrollably and crashed fatally into the woods. Police said that those killed were thrown out of the vehicle during the crash.
“Just a loud boom,” Amy Buchanan told the publication. She lives nearby Taylor Road, about 50 yards from where the late-model Subaru came to rest. Witnesses could see the aftermath of the crash where backpacks and other personal items could be seen inside the wreckage. Neighbors allegedly told her one apparent survivor of the crash was seen walking near the wreckage. It was the driver and he was rushed to the hospital.
The accident had disrupted the otherwise quiet Columbus Day holiday. Glass, debris and other car parts were strewn along a wooded area adjacent to a nearby neighborhood street. One neighbor told the publication that she was awakened by the sound of a loud explosion. It turned out that the vehicle had split into two separate sections during the crash.
Upon arriving to the deadly crash scene, NYS Police identified the driver as 17-year-old Joseph Beer of Queens. His four passengers were not immediately identified, however. An autopsy report will be able to positively identify the bodies and an official report will be released when the investigation concludes.
The accident caused authorities to close down the roadway for more than five hours.
Buchanan said the area is the site of frequent accidents. “I’ve lived here for 10 years and there has been an accident almost in that exact spot every year, but never as one as horrific as this,” she said.
A cleanup crew helped load the front and rear sections of the vehicle onto separate flatbed trucks.
If you or a family member have been in a serious auto accident and were severely injured or suffered gross losses as a result, you need to contact The Consumer’s Law Group today!