Driver goes the wrong way in East Meadow

Hempstead Turnpike in East Meadow became the latest site of a wrong-way drive by an allegedly drunken driver. 

At about 4:05 a.m. last Sunday, according to police, a Huntington Station woman was arrested after she was spotted driving a 2005 Volvo westbound in the eastbound lanes of Hempstead Turnpike, in the vicinity of East Meadow Avenue. The driver, Bernadette Behensky, was operating her vehicle under the influence of alcohol, police said.

Behensky, 20, was charged with driving while intoxicated, aggravated DWI, driving the wrong way on a one-way street and numerous vehicle and traffic law violations, police said. According to officials, Behensky pleaded not guilty at her arraignment on Sunday in First District Court, and was released after posting $1,000 bail. She was due back in court on Friday. 

Sunday’s incident was not the only recent occurrence of wrong-way driving involving East Meadow. On Nov. 16, a Salisbury woman was arrested after allegedly driving the wrong way on the Long Island Expressway.

That defendant, 22-year-old Katelyn O’Connell, was also charged with DWI after she struck an oncoming vehicle as she drove westbound in the LIE’s eastbound lanes in the vicinity of exit 35 near Shelter Rock Road in North Hills, police said. The driver of the other vehicle, a 27-year-old man from Queens, was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. O’Connell was scheduled to appear in court again on Thursday.

Neither incident resulted in fatalities or serious injuries, but on Nov. 15, the day before O’Connell’s collision on the LIE, an off-duty police officer was killed when an allegedly drunk driver struck him head-on as he drove home from work on the Northern State Parkway in Dix Hills. 

In response to these incidents, State Sen. Charles Fuschillo (R-Merrick), whose district includes a portion of East Meadow, sent a letter to state transportation officials, calling on them to find ways to deter future wrong-way accidents. 

“This letter is simply not a request for a review but rather a call for action,” Fuschillo wrote. “The New York State Department of Transportation must develop an immediate plan on these and other sites detailing corrective measures to prevent drivers from entering our state roadways the wrong way.”

Eileen Peters, spokeswoman for the Long Island regional office of the Department of Transportation, said the agency could not comment on Sunday’s Hempstead Turnpike incident. 

The westbound and eastbound lanes of the turnpike in East Meadow are separated by a center median. One-way signs indicating the direction of travel are posted at various points on both sides of the highway.

According to Peters, a $2.2 million project, completed in 1994, improved signage on more than 450 state highway ramps. Double-posted Wrong Way and Do Not Enter signs were installed, and arrows were painted on the street surface to indicate the correct direction of travel.

The DOT plans to assess whether it needs to take any additional action on roads and ramps to prevent wrong-way driving. 

“Motorist safety is the New York State Department of Transportation’s highest priority,” Peters said. “As such, NYSDOT roadways are designed, built and maintained for safety and are very safe for drivers who are alert, sober and follow the rules of the road.”

Though adjustments will be made if necessary, Peters emphasized that the drivers involved in the recent collisions were suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol. “The common denominator to all of this is that the drivers were allegedly drunk,” she said. “If improvements need to be made, we will make improvements in signs and see if there are certain areas that need certain enhancements.”