Hudson Valley Man Dies Helping Teen After Drunk Crash At Mall

A tragic chain of events in the Hudson Valley left a Good Samaritan dead and an 18-year-old facing DWI charges.

Clarkstown Police rushed to reports of a single-vehicle motor vehicle crash on Palisades Center Drive, near Home Depot, in West Nyack around 1:20 a.m. on Tuesday.

Accident At The Palisades Center Leads To Tragedy

Police say a Toyota Camry crashed and flipped off Palisades Center Drive. The vehicle struck a guardrail, crashed through a fence, and overturned onto its driver's side.

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The 18-year-old driver from Carmel, New York, and 32-year-old passenger were able to exit the Camry before police arrived. The 32-year-old told arriving officers that another driver stopped to help, but then disappeared.

43-Year-Old Man From Maybrook Found Dead

Soon, officers heard the 18-year-old female driver calling for help below a retaining wall approximately 30 to 40 feet beneath the roadway in an area of dense vegetation.

Police found the injured driver and a 43-year-old man unresponsive. The unnamed man from Maybrook, New York, was pronounced dead on the scene, police say.

Died Helping Other

Police believe that the Maybrook man stopped to help after hearing the driver crying out from below a steep embankment. Officers say he accidentally fell thirty to forty feet over a retaining wall into dense brush, sustaining fatal injuries.

His name is being withheld pending notification of his family.

18-Year-Old From Carmel Charged With DWI

The 18-year-old driver and her passengers were treated at the scene and taken to local hospitals for evaluation.

Following an investigation, the Carmel teen was charged with DWI and misdemeanor and traffic law violations related to the crash.

She was released on an appearance ticket and is scheduled to appear in the Town of Clarkstown Justice Court at a future date.

Investigation Ongoing

The Clarkstown Police Department's Accident Investigation Unit continues to investigate the incident.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information is asked to contact the Clarkstown Police Department at (845) 639-5800.

New York State's 10 Drunkest Counties

According to County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, these are the 10 New York counties with the highest rates of excessive alcohol consumption among adults. The CDC says exessive drinking includes binge drinking which is "...defined as consuming 4 or more drinks on an occasion for a woman or 5 or more drinks on an occasion for a man.." and heavy drinking which " ...for women...is 8 drinks or more per week/For men, heavy drinking is 15 drinks or more per week."

Gallery Credit: Matty Jeff

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