Police Charge Driver In Yonkers Wrong-Way Crash

YONKERS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A driver has been charged in connection with a wrong-way crash on the Bronx River Parkway in Yonkers that left him and six others hurt.

Diego Caceres, a 35-year-old Washington Heights resident, is charged with DWI and reckless endangerment and reckless driving.

Police say he drove southbound on the northbound lanes of the Bronx River Parkway at 3:30 a.m. Friday before colliding into a car carrying six family members visiting from Florida, ranging in age from 15 to 50.

The crash sent all seven people to Westchester Medical Center. It took crews more than five hours to clear the parkway, creating a mess for the morning commute, CBS2's Magdalena Doris reported.

While police have not released details about the identity or the extent of the injuries sustained by the crash victims, officials say everyone involved will survive.

Wrong-way collisions are a recurring problem in Westchester County, where some officials have called for better warning signs and re-engineering of confusing exits and entrances, WCBS 880's Sean Adams reported.

Assemblyman Tom Abinanti says it's clear the signs are insufficient. He suggests large, overhanging signs.

"On the exits, you put the height barrier which says 'exit only' and it's very clear so there's no mistaking, that even if the person is somehow impaired, if they're confused, if they don't know where they are, it will be very clear to them that they're not to enter onto what is clearly marked as an exit ramp."

The investigation into Friday morning's crash is ongoing.

In:
• Sean Adams
• Magdalena Doris
• Bronx River Parkway
• Yonkers