Police Investigating Fatal Overnight Crash On Meadowbrook State Parkway
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Two friends were killed in a crash on the Meadowbrook State Parkway on Long Island early Monday, and a police officer was also injured at the scene.
State police said the one-car crash happened just after midnight Monday north of the Southern State Parkway.
They said the driver of a 2011 Chevrolet Camaro was heading south on the parkway when he somehow lost control and struck the cement center median before crossing the traffic lanes and hitting a tree.
The driver, Stanley Miles, 22; and his passenger, Darren Gregory, 31, were both killed, police said.
Police Investigating Fatal Overnight Crash On Meadowbrook State Parkway
As CBS 2's Andrea Grymes reported, Miles' father, Stanley Miles Sr., broke down in tears as he talked about his son.
"He was my best friend," Miles Sr. said.
"He was a sweet gentle child; a beautiful child," added the victim's mother, Verona Miles. "And he was my child."
The Miles family said their son and Gregory were coming home to Roosevelt from a Garden City bowling alley. State police said the younger Miles -- who was behind the wheel -- lost control around midnight while heading on the Meadowbrook just ahead of the Southern State Pkwy.
Authorities said Miles struck the center median and then drove across the lanes of traffic, and hit a tree before stopping on the shoulder. Police believe speed played a role.
"From the pictures that they see, the smiles -- that's the type of person he was all the time," Verona Miles said.
A second accident was linked to the first. A marked New York State Police cruiser was hit by another driver as a trooper blocked lanes to divert traffic from the fatal accident.
The southbound Meadowbrook was closed for hours starting at the Hempstead Turnpike. The trooper was taken away on a stretcher, but state police said the accident was minor.
In Roosevelt, loved ones were turning to each other for support and remembering the other family feeling profound loss like them.
"We want to send condolences to the family of the passenger who was with my son," Miles Sr. said.
The younger Miles also left behind seven brothers and sisters, as well as nieces and nephews. He worked with father in the family business.
Miles was driving a Chevrolet Camaro that his family said he had recently purchased.
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