Police officer fighting for his life after crash on Long Island Expressway
BRENTWOOD, N.Y. (PIX11) – A Suffolk County police officer is fighting for his life after he was critically injured in a crash on the Long Island Expressway Sunday, authorities said.
Officer Brendon Gallagher was conducting a traffic stop on westbound Long Island Expressway near exit 55 around 6:09 p.m. when another driver sped by in a Ford Mustang going around 95 to 100 mph, according to Suffolk County Police Acting Commissioner Robert Waring.
Gallagher then got into his police vehicle and drove after the Mustang. The officer activated his lights and sirens in an attempt to pull the Mustang's driver over, according to the Suffolk County Police Department.
The driver of the Mustang lost control of the vehicle and sideswiped Gallagher’s vehicle, authorities said. Gallagher’s vehicle left the road and overturned. The Mustang also went off the road and hit a light post, police said.
"The damage to the police vehicle was so significant it took our emergency services officers over 30 minutes to extricate him from the vehicle," Waring said.
Gallagher was flown to a hospital in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, authorities said.
“The nature of his injuries are so severe, they are typically considered not survivable. So the fact that he is still here with us is nothing short of a miracle. We are asking everyone to keep positive thoughts for his recovery,” Waring said.
Dr. James Vosswinkel, a doctor at Stony Brook University Hospital where Gallagher is hospitalized, said the next couple of days will be critical in the officer's recovery.
“The next 24 to 48 hours are obviously very critical to see if this degree of trauma affects his lungs and the rest of his organs or if we’re going to make it past that. Then there’s obviously multiple other steps we need to get through,” Vosswinkel said.
Cody Fisher, the alleged driver of the Mustang, was apprehended by an off-duty Nassau County police officer who was driving by at the time of the incident, police said.
Fisher, 29, of Brentwood, was charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, assault, unlawful fleeing a police officer, and reckless driving, according to the Suffolk County Police Department.
Finn Hoogensen is a digital journalist who has covered local news for more than six years. He has been with PIX11 News since 2022. See more of his work here.