New York has seen its share of natural disasters, but Superstorm Sandy would have to be one of the worst to hit the Empire State. Unfortunately, the storm has claimed many lives. Among them is a student at Stony Brook University, who lost her life in an Oct. 30 vehicle accident that occurred at 1:30 in the morning at a Long Island intersection.
The 21-year-old student was riding in the back of a friend’s SUV in Port Jefferson, New York, when it was broadsided by a police car driven by a Suffolk County police officer. The storm had knocked out the lights in the area. The officer was responding to a call but didn’t have his emergency lights on at the time.
The student was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The other three passengers in the SUV and the officer were taken to a nearby hospital and treated for injuries. At the time the article was posted, one of the accident victims was in critical condition. It appears none of the passengers in the SUV were wearing seatbelts.
Detectives from a different precinct are currently investigating the fatal SUV crash. If the officer is found to be at fault, the city may be required to pay the medical expenses of the victims since the accident occurred while the officer was on duty. If he was responding to a call, he definitely should have had his lights and siren activated no matter what the weather conditions were. He and the city may be sued by the victims or their families for pain and suffering and other damages.
Source: HuffingtonPost.com, “Vishwaja Muppa, Stony Brook Student, Killed In Sandy-Related Car Crash,” Nov. 2, 2012