By Hank Russell
A Centerport woman who was driving the wrong way on the Southern State Parkway and smashed into three other cars, resulting in the death of her nine-year-old son, has been charged with driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
In the early morning hours of August 22, New York State troopers, along with the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office Deputies, responded to the eastbound Southern State Parkway, around exit 42 in the Town of Islip, for a wrong-way driver. Kerri A. Bedrick, who was driving a black 2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, caused a fatal four-car collision in which her son, Eli D. Henrys, was killed.
Bedrick crashed into a 2018 Mercedes Benz operated by Haydee R Meyer, 29, of Center Moriches; a 2011 Honda driven by David C. Picard, 24, of Brentwood; and a 2019 Chevrolet pickup driven by John Rotondi, 64, of Brooklyn.
When state police arrived, they saw Bedrick standing outside of her vehicle and located Henrys in the back seat with the seat belt fastened. Troopers and the Sheriff’s Deputies performed CPR on Henrys, but he later succumbed to his injuries.
Both Meyer and Picard were transported to Good Samaritan Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Rotondi was uninjured.
Bedrick has been charged with Aggravated Unlicensed Operation – 1st offense (a Class E felony), Operating a Motor Vehicle while Impaired by Drugs – 1st offense (a Class U misdemeanor), Aggravated DWI: with a child-passenger less than 16 – 1st offense (a Class E Felony), endangering the welfare of a child (a Class A misdemeanor) and criminal possession of a stimulant (a Class C felony). She will be held overnight and is due to be arraigned on August 23 in Suffolk County First District Court at 9:00 a.m.
Numerous units of the New York State Police responded to assist with this investigation, which included the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU), Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) Unit, along with NYSP command staff from uniform and BCI.
This incident is still under investigation, and the State Police is asking for anyone who witnessed the crash or has any miore information to call (631) 756-3300.