In Westchester County, a horrific single-vehicle crash claimed the lives of five children. According to investigators, it occurred around 12:20 a.m. on Sunday, March 19, on the northbound Hutchinson River Parkway in Scarsdale.
Four boys and a girl, all from Connecticut and aged 8 to 17, were in a Nissan Rogue that veered off the parkway near the Mamaroneck Road exit, collided with a tree, and caught fire, according to Westchester County Police.
Connecticut Children Killed in Fiery Crash in New York
According to authorities, the car was presumably driven by a 16-year-old kid. A 9-year-old kid, the sole survivor in the car, was transported to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.
He was traveling in the rear hatchback or luggage area and fled through the rear hatch. Further information, including the victims' names and particular Connecticut hometowns, has not yet been disclosed.
Per Daily Voice, the accident is under investigation by the Westchester County Police Accident Investigation Team and the General Investigations Unit. Matt Conway, the superintendent of public schools in Derby, Connecticut, where the children reportedly resided, stated that the children were all from the same family.
Conway stated that the family has yet to enroll in Derby schools despite having just relocated from New York to Derby, a former manufacturing town ten miles west of New Haven that is regarded as "Connecticut's smallest city."
According to NY Times, Conway spoke with the children's father. The collision occurred as the automobile traveled north on the Hutchinson River Parkway between Mamaroneck Road and Mamaroneck Avenue, close to the Scarsdale-White Plains line.
According to authorities, the vehicle went off the road for unexplained reasons and collided with a tree, catching fire. Although trucks occasionally collide with a low bridge that crosses the Hutchinson River Parkway near Mamaroneck Road, the location of Sunday's crash was not a recognized accident hotspot, according to the police.
In 2015, however, a local news investigation using state data acquired through the Freedom of Information Law revealed New York's most hazardous stretches of roadway. The list included the Hutchinson River Parkway at Mamaroneck Avenue.
New York Car Crash Victims' Identity
The children's identities and ages are now undisclosed. However, family members have posted tributes and photographs of the deceased. In a GoFundMe page created by mourning family members, seven individuals were depicted in a blend of group and selfie photographs of the deceased.
As of Sunday evening, GoFundMe had raised little more than $6,500 toward its $50,000 goal. Others have swamped the contributions area with their thoughts and prayers for the family. While the family grieves, the inquiry into the accident continues. At a tough time, the family has sought prayers and thoughts through social media posts, per Daily Mail.
The tragedy occurred in affluent Scarsdale, a hamlet of around 18,000 people. In 2020, the average household income in the city was $452,000. This made it the second wealthiest city in the United States, barely behind the community in Silicon Valley. About 35 miles north of New York City sits Scarsdale.
@YouTube