NEW YORK — While the New York police continue to search for a Wrong-way driver who killed two people On the Henry Hudson Parkway, the mayor offers $1,000 of his own money as a reward for the case.
The crash killed 38-year-old Kirk Walker and his cousin, 40-year-old Robert McLaurin, early Saturday morning. Walker and his fiancée Shauntea Weaver were scheduled to marry on Sunday.
Mayor Eric Adams called it a “horrific, horrific incident” and said he spoke to Walker’s mother and sister on Tuesday.
“Any accident is a terrible accident, but some can turn into Shakespearean tragedies. The day before your ceremony, the family is devastated, as you can imagine,” Adams said. “We are going to find the person involved, and I am asking New Yorkers, if you have any information that can lead to the arrest of this person, who apparently fled the scene, I will use $1,000 of my personal funds to help secure the arrest and conviction.”
Future groom killed in wrong-way driving accident in Henry Hudson
Photos provided
Police said a white pickup truck was traveling south in the northbound lanes of the parkway when it collided head-on with their Dodge Challenger around 2:30 a.m. Saturday. A third vehicle was also damaged in the crash.
The driver of the pickup truck got out and fled, but a passenger was still at the scene, police said.
Instead of celebrating Walker’s wedding anniversary, his family held a vigil on Sunday to mourn his loss.
“We should be at my wedding now. It’s supposed to be a wedding at the Royal Manor, not a funeral,” his fiancée said.
Walker’s father, Kirk Walker Sr., had a message for the wrong-way driver.
“I want them to see my face. I just want them to know it’s not over. It’s not over,” he said.
The mayor said his office would coordinate with the family as they plan a memorial ceremony at the crash site.
Anyone with information about the driver is asked to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477)or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or DM on Twitter, @NYPDTipsAll calls will be treated confidentially.
AAA warning about wrong-way driving accidents
This was at least the second fatal wrong-way driving accident in New York in less than a week. 9-year-old boy was killed last Thursday when his mother was driving the wrong way on the Southern State Parkway on Long Island.
Kerri Bedrick was charged with driving under the influence of drugsamong others. Prosecutors said her driver’s license had been suspended 56 times. A grand jury voted to indict the 32-year-old mother, who is due back in court next week.
According to AAA, alcohol was the leading risk factor in the 3,885 wrong-way driving deaths between 2010 and 2018. So what else can be done besides putting up warning signs on the roads?
“You have to remember that our local infrastructure is very old. Much of it dates back to the time before modern transportation technology,” said the AAA representative for the Northeast. Robert Sinclair told CBS News New York:. “There are signs saying ‘Wrong way, go around’ and things like that, but that can be very difficult if you’re disabled.”
He said drivers from out of state may be unfamiliar with local roads, especially with many people traveling to the area this holiday weekend.
“Often these entrances and exits are not well lit. It’s very difficult, we have an infrastructure that there’s not much you can do about it other than completely tear it down and rebuild it,” he said. “So it’s really important that we’re conscious of not driving under the influence of alcohol or, increasingly these days, drugs.”
If drivers realize they are driving in the wrong direction, they should pull over to the shoulder as quickly as possible and try to make a safe U-turn.
