Pedestrian killed, state trooper injured in Meadowbrook Parkway accidents
GARDEN CITY, Long Island (WABC) -- Authorities are investigating a series of accidents on Long Island Thursday that killed a pedestrian, injured a state trooper, and snarled traffic on the Meadowbrook State Parkway.
The chain of events happened near the Zeckendorf Boulevard interchange in Garden City, Nassau County.
New York State Troopers and Nassau County police responded at about noon to a single-car crash at exit M2.
While responding to that accident, another car driven by 31-year-old Brett Belferder of Wantagh came up and hit the two police vehicles. A trooper suffered minor injuries.
State police say Belferder had also struck and killed the pedestrian, 39-year-old Michael Patterson of Freeport, just minutes earlier.
Patterson was walking along the roadway and his vehicle, a 1992 Volvo, was parked a short distance away from where he was struck.
Belferder was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
It is not yet clear whether the heavy rain played a role in the incidents.
Emergency crews remained on the scene, and traffic in both directions was backed up for miles.
Both directions were closed between Exit M1 (Old Country Road) and Exit M3 (Stewart Avenue / Merchants Concourse) for about an hour. The southbound lanes reopened around 1:30 p.m., but rubbernecking delays persisted.
The northbound Meadowbrook Parkway remained shut down late Thursday afternoon.
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