New York Mother Arrested for Driving Under the Influence and Killing Her 9-Year-Old Son in Tragic Wrong-Way Highway Crash: Police

A New York mother has been arrested in connection with a tragic crash that claimed the life of her 9-year-old son. Authorities allege that the collision occurred while she was under the influence of drugs and driving against traffic on a highway, Sydtomarket.net reports.

Kerri Bedrick, 32, is accused of driving her SUV the wrong way on Long Island’s Southern State Parkway with her son, Eli D. Henrys, in the back seat, according to ABC News.

The wrong-way crash, which police described as a DWI incident, involved four vehicles in total. The collision happened around 2:15 a.m. on August 22, just moments after a Suffolk County Sheriff’s deputy spotted Bedrick. Despite the deputy’s attempt to pull her over with lights and sirens, Bedrick sped up and continued driving, authorities said.

The impact of the crash was so severe that it ejected the engine from Bedrick’s SUV. The deputy arrived at the scene and removed the boy, who was still seat-belted, from the vehicle before attempting life-saving measures. Unfortunately, the child died en route to the hospital.

Bedrick and three others were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The severity of the crash was underscored by New York State Police Major Stephen Udice, who noted that the SUV’s engine was found in the woods some distance from the crash site.

Bedrick allegedly admitted to being under the influence of alcohol and methamphetamine at the time of the collision. She was also driving without a license, which had been suspended 56 times, and had two prior DWIs on her record.

During her arraignment on August 23, Bedrick’s attorney requested leniency in bail to allow her to attend her son’s funeral, citing her medical conditions and history of domestic violence as contributing factors to the accident.

Bedrick faces multiple charges, including aggravated unlicensed operation, operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs, aggravated DWI, endangering the welfare of a child, and criminal possession of a stimulant. New York Mother is being held on $1 million cash or $2 million bond and is scheduled to return to court this week, where she could potentially face a homicide charge.