News: DWI Driver Hits Off-Duty Cop
(Long Island, N.Y.) A drunken and reckless driver who went the wrong way on a road in Ridge impacted the vehicle of an off-duty policeman. The police officer was from the East Hampton Police Department and had been heading home from work at the time of the incident. Reports stated that the accident occurred when the officer was just five miles from his home.
The police officer, a thirty-one-year-old husband and father, had been working as a cop for eleven years and had been with the force since 2003. His shift was from four till midnight during the night of the accident, and he had stayed extra hours to patrol for intoxicated drivers. The officer had been previously recognized from Suffolk County for the most DWI arrests within his town department in the past two years.
Fellow police officers urge followers of the case to keep in mind the dangers they face both on and off the job. Reports stated that some have suggested making housing more affordable in areas like East Hampton, so that there’s less of a commute for workers. In addition to police officers, the lack of affordable housing affects fireman, teachers, and other town employees.
Both vehicles had been totaled during the head-on collision that took place Saturday morning at roughly fifteen minutes after four. Reports stated that the accident occurred while the police officer had been traveling westbound on Middle Country Road near Half Moon Pond Road in a location east of the William Floyd Parkway. The officer had gotten off the William Floyd Parkway and was heading on the ramp to Route 25.
According to one source, the police officer had nowhere to go and no way of avoiding the collision. The officer had been wearing his seatbelt, and based on the magnitude of the crash, is lucky to be alive. Authorities on the case have estimated that the bodily damage could have been irrecoverable.
The police officer was rushed to the Stony Brook University Medical Center, and it’s not certain whether he required surgery. He suffered extensive injuries including a broken sternum and multiple lacerations. He also suffered an ankle and heel injury and has been listed in serious condition.
Seventh Squad Detectives have been investigating the case and have claimed that the other driver was traveling eastbound in a westbound lane. He was also taken to Stony Brook University Medical Center and treated for his injuries. He was arrested for driving while intoxicated and was listed in serious condition.
A member of the East Hampton Police Department claimed that last weekend’s accident wasn’t the first time a police officer was injured after getting off duty. This demonstrates the need for police officers working the night shift to take special caution on their journeys home.
