NYC mayor pledges $1,000 reward in Henry Hudson wrong-way crash that killed groom-to-be
NEW YORK -- As New York City police continue to search for a wrong-way driver who killed two people on the Henry Hudson Parkway, the mayor is putting up $1,000 of his own money for a reward in 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 supposed to get married on Sunday.
Mayor Eric Adams called it a "horrific, horrific incident" and said he spoke with Walker's mother and sister Tuesday.
"Any accident is a terrible accident, but some of them can turn into Shakespearean tragedies. The day before your ceremony, the family's devastated, as you can imagine," Adams said. "We're going to find the person involved, and I'm asking New Yorkers, if you know any information that can lead to apprehending this person, who appeared to have left the scene, I'm going to put $1,000 of my own personal money to call for the arrest and conviction."
Groom-to-be killed in Henry Hudson wrong-way crash
Police said a white pickup truck was driving south in the northbound lanes of the parkway when it struck their Dodge Challenger head-on around 2:30 a.m. Saturday. A third vehicle was also damaged in the crash.
The driver of the pickup truck got out and ran away, but a passenger remained on the scene, police said.
Instead of celebrating what should have been Walker's wedding day, his loved ones held a vigil Sunday to mourn the loss.
"We're supposed to be at my wedding right now. This is supposed to be a wedding at the Royal Manor, not a celebration of death," said his fiancée.
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 ain't over. It's not over," he said.
The mayor said his office will coordinate with the family as they plan to hold a memorial ceremony at the site of the crash.
Anyone with information about the driver is asked to call the NYPD's 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 via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
AAA warning about wrong-way crashes
This was at least the second deadly wrong-way crash in New York in less than a week. A 9-year-old boy was killed last Thursday when his mother drove the wrong way on the Southern State Parkway on Long Island.
Kerri Bedrick was charged with driving while impaired with drugs, among other counts. Prosecutors said her 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.
AAA says of the 3,885 deaths from wrong-way crashes between 2010 and 2018, alcohol was the most common risk factor. So in addition to warning signs on roadways, what more can be done?
"You have to keep in mind that our infrastructure, locally, is very old. Much of it predates modern transportation engineering," AAA's Northeast representative Robert Sinclair told CBS News New York. "There are signs [that say] 'wrong way, go back,' all that sort of thing, but it can be very difficult if you're impaired."
He said drivers from other states may not be familiar with local roads, especially as people travel to the area this holiday weekend.
"Many times, these entrances and exits don't have a lot of lighting. It's very difficult, we have infrastructure that there's not much that you can do, other than just wholesale tearing everything up and rebuilding it," he said. "So it's really important that we stay aware, that we're not driving impaired, either by alcohol or more and more these days drugs."
If drivers do find themselves going the wrong way, they should pull over to the shoulder as quickly as possible and try to turn around safely.