9-year-old killed in Southern State Parkway crash; mom drove impaired: police
BAY SHORE - A 9-year-old was killed on Long Island after his mother, allegedly under the influence, drove the wrong way on the Southern State Parkway and crashed, authorities said.
Southern State Parkway accident today
The four-car accident happened on Thursday around 2:20 a.m. in the eastbound lanes near exit 42 in Bay Shore.
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Kerri Bedrick, of Long Island, is facing several charges after a wrong-way crash on the Southern State Parkway killed her 9-year-old son, Eli Henrys, in Bay Shore, authorities say.
According to New York State Police, the boy, who was from Centerport, was the rear-seat passenger in the SUV – driven by his 32-year-old mother – that was traveling west in the eastbound lanes.
"This incident is still under investigation, however, information gathered to this point indicates that the wrong-way driver may have been driving the wrong way on Sunrise Highway prior to entering the Southern State Parkway," NYSP Major Stephen Udice said.
The woman may have been going the wrong way prior to the crash, according to the sheriff’s office, for more than five miles. They say a deputy sheriff tried to stop the vehicle.
"He’s attempting to get this vehicle to stop, but ultimately, was unable to do so," said John Becker, with the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office. "That vehicle continued on at varying speeds."
All other people involved in the collision were taken to hospitals with injuries that appear to be non-life threatening, state police said.
"It was a very severe collision. It was a head-on collision," Udice said. "The damage to the vehicles involved was extensive, and as I said to you before, to give you an idea, the engine from the vehicle, the wrong-way driving vehicle, was thrown, was cut, was severed from the vehicle and thrown from that vehicle landing in the woods.
Charges are still pending against the woman, who has not been identified. She was being treated at Good Samaritan Hospital.
Anyone with information is asked to call New York State police at (631)-756-3300.