Head On Collision on Bear Mountain Parkway Sends Five to Hospital

A head on collision on the Bear Mountain Parkway sent five people to Westchester Medical Center, one with a broken leg, Wednesday night.

A 20-year-old woman driving eastbound in a Hyundai was illegally attempting to pass a car in front of her when she crashed head on with a red Mercedes, driven by a 46- year-old Peekskill man, Peekskill Police Lieutenant Eric Johansen said. The woman, who is a Hudson resident, suffered a broken leg. She, her three male passengers and the other driver were all rushed to Westchester Medical Center for other injuries. Police did not have information on the other injuries, but said all involved were wearing seatbelts and both cars’ airbags deployed.

The accident occurred around 11:25 p.m. near the BMP’s intersection with Highland Avenue and Peekskill police, fire and EMS, and Mohegan Lake EMS responded to the call.

Both drivers were issued summonses for driving with suspended licenses. The police are still investigating the accident.

This accident comes less than three weeks after a Lake Peekskill man in a similar head on collision on the Bear Mountain Parkway just a mile east of last night’s accident.

Community members and local officials feel the state-owned parkway is unsafe and needs a barrier. Commenters on Patch have expressed outrage at the that occur on the parkway and they and the New York State Department of Transportation to install a barrier on the road. Since the DOT canceled a $60 million project that included the installation of a barrier in 2008, it has said that the any time soon.

The DOT investigates serious accidents on state-owned roads and makes safety improvements if they find that road geometrics caused or contributed to the accident.But when accidents are caused by human error, like in this case of a driver illegally passing another car, the DOT will most likely not make any significant safety changes.

The more accidents that occur the more likely it is for the DOT to monitor the Bear Mountain Parkway and for it to be added to a priority investigation list, which could help the DOT to obtain funding for safety improvements. But the list is compiled by accident statistics alone, so only the top 60 or 70 most dangerous roads (as measured by severity of accidents and fatalities) are monitored once they get to the top of the list. The BMP has not been on the list since at least 2007, a DOT spokesperson said.

Stay with Patch for updates on the police investigation into last night's accident.

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