An Old Westbury police officer, investigating a traffic accident, was injured Wednesday morning after he was struck by a motorist who fled the scene but was eventually chased down by a civilian witness, authorities said.
The uniformed officer, who was not identified, was taken by police ambulance to Winthrop Hospital for treatment of serious but nonlife threatening injuries, according to Old Westbury Det. Edward Kehoe, Jr.
The driver, Benjamin Zavala, 19, of Uniondale, was charged with third-degree assault, second-degree reckless endangerment, leaving the scene of an accident with personal injury and reckless driving.
The incident began as the officer was investigating a single-car crash that occurred at 5:15 a.m. near the intersection of Glen Cove and I.U. Willets roads.
Lenny Rivera, 33 of South Richmond Hill, who owned the vehicle involved in the crash — but who was not involved in the accident — along with another individual, arrived on the scene and parked in the right northbound lane of Glen Cove Road, Kehoe said.
The officer was interviewing Rivera and the other individual when he was struck by the front passenger-side mirror and passenger-side window of a passing 2020 Nissan Rogue, Kehoe said. The officer was thrown in the air and landed on the pavement nearby, suffering injuries to his head, neck, back and shoulder, officials said.
Zavala did not stop his vehicle or call 911 and continued speeding northbound on Glen Cove Road toward the Long Island Expressway,...
Read Full Story: https://www.newsday.com/long-island/cop-injured-old-westbury-1.50350408
Your content is great. However, if any of the content contained herein violates any rights of yours, including those of copyright, please contact us immediately by e-mail at media[@]kissrpr.com.