Police Identify Man, Woman Killed In Old Westbury Long Island Expressway Crash
OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Police late Thursday identified a man and woman who were struck and killed in an accident on the Long Island Expressway earlier this week.
Yousef Shaker, 20, of Ridgewood, Queens, and Lauren Stepham, 18, of upstate Salem, were killed in the Monday night accident on the expressway in Old Westbury, Nassau County police said.
The trouble began when a BMW carrying four young people traveling westbound hit the right guardrail and then careened over to the HOV lane between exit 40 and 39 around 11 p.m. Monday, according to police. It was raining at the time.
"This vehicle hit the guardrail on the north side of the LIE striking the guardrail then shot across going southbound if you will across all the lanes of traffic and then it the median divider, the jersey wall, the concrete divider," Nassau County police Detective Sgt. James Skopek said earlier this week. "This car then laid at rest right there. What we think and we're trying to build the facts right now is that the lights were no longer a part of this vehicle."
All four occupants got out of the car to check for damage, police said. That's when Shaker, who had been driving, and an Stepham, who had been a passenger, were struck by a GMC Yukon.
The impact sent the two standing outside the stalled car flying over the barrier and onto the eastbound lanes, police said.
"He strikes two of those people. One person did actually travel from the westbound portion of the expressway to the eastbound, far, far side of the eastbound lane," Skopek said.
Shaker was pronounced dead at the scene. Stepham was taken to the hospital, where she also died.
Two other passengers, an 18-year-old woman and 19-year-old man, were hurt and taken to the hospital for treatment.
The driver of the GMC - an off-duty NYPD officer - also suffered minor injuries. The officer was tested for alcohol, the results came back negative.
Both vehicles were impounded for brake and safety tests after the accident.
