Traffic & Transit
Family Of Woman Injured In Sagtikos Crash Wants Justice: Report
"I'm thankful my daughter's alive," the woman's mother told ABC 7. Daijonee Vanderveer, a mother, lost both her legs in the crash.
TOWN OF ISLIP, NY — The family of a woman whose legs were amputated in a crash is seeking justice, according to a report.
Daijonee Vanderveer, 36, of Rockville Centre, was hit by a drunken driver early Saturday on the Sagtikos State Parkway in the Town of Islip, New York State Police said. Kevin Rosasdaqui, 25, of Brooklyn, was arrested and charged with DWI, police said.
Vanderveer's family hired an attorney, ABC 7 reported.
Find out what's happening in Hauppaugefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"I'm overwhelmed, I'm overwhelmed, I'm thankful my daughter's alive, I'm thankful she's alive, that's where I'm at right now," Roberta Vanderveer, the mother of Daijonee, said on Monday, ABC 7 reported.
Two police officers, one on-duty and one off-duty, who were driving by the crash stopped and immediately applied a tourniquet to Vanderveer’s legs, state police said. The life-saving measures provided time for Vanderveer to be rushed to a nearby hospital.
Find out what's happening in Hauppaugefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The off-duty Suffolk officer was coming home from a wedding when he stopped to help by taking off his tie and belt and putting tourniquets around her legs, ABC 7 reported. The other officer put a tourniquet on her arm.
Three other people were injured in the crash, state police said.
Officers responded to an area just south of exit S1E after receiving multiple calls about a crash, police said. Vanderveer was driving a 2012 Honda Civic southbound on the parkway when her vehicle stopped in the right lane because of a flat tire.
Vanderveer got out of the car and walked to the back of the vehicle to open the trunk. As she did, a 2012 Honda Civic driven by Rosasdaqui was traveling southbound in the right lane when he struck Vanderveer and rear-ended her car, police said.
The impact of the crash severed both of Vanderveer’s legs, police said.
Two passengers from Rosasdaqui's vehicle were taken to South Shore University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A third passenger was uninjured, police said.
Rosasdaqui was also taken to South Shore University Hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
