Off-duty NY officer killed in head-on collision with semi-truck

New York, NY- An off-duty Mount Vernon police officer was killed early Thursday when he was driving the wrong way on I-95 and crashed head-on into a semi-truck.

Reginald Velez, 29, of the Bronx, entered I-95, traveling south in the northbound lanes when he ran into the semi-truck head-on in the Baychester area. Several other cars came across Velez, but managed to avoid a collision.

The truck driver Rene Campbell, 56, told the New York Daily News, “It happened so fast, I had no time to react. I just saw these bright headlights, he was going so fast. I had no chance.”

The impact of the two vehicles colliding caused Velez’s Lexus to fly up into the air, explode into a blaze, and spin around several times until it crashed into a guardrail. Velez died on the scene.

Velez was at a nearby restaurant celebrating with friends. The restaurant owner said that Velez was not drinking, according to the New York Daily News.

The truck driver hit his head, but that was the worst of his injuries.  Many other people involved in an accident suffer more serious injuries, often at the hands of another, and find they need to hire a truck accident attorney to file a lawsuit.

With a truck accident lawyer fighting by a victim’s side, the injured can be confident that the negligent driver is held accountable for their actions. Truck accident attorneys are capable of getting the victims they represent the amount of compensation they deserve.