A meeting is planned to discuss charges after a deadly accident on the Onondaga Lake Parkway.
/ file photo
LIVERPOOL -- One week after the head-on crash on the Onondaga Lake Parkway that killed 40 year old Maryann Denny, Sheriff Kevin Walsh announced that investigators want to talk to the driver of a white or silver van.
"The driver of that van may very well be a witness to what happened of the actions of the other drivers before the accident even if he didn't see the accident." Walsh told CNY Central.
Earlier Monday, Sheriff's investigators met with the District Attorney's office about possible charges, but Walsh says they're still piecing together the chain of events that led 22 year old Matthew Stephan to cross the center line. Sheriff Walsh says it could have been "road rage" because Stephan had allegedly just been passed by another car driven by John D'Amore.
According to the State Department of Transportation, between 1991 and 2008, there were 343 accidents on the Parkway. Five were fatal crashes, while 134 involved injuries to drivers or passengers. The State says that's only slightly above the statewide average for that type of road.
The numbers have little meaning for Ed Firnstein. In 1977 his sister, Nancy Rogers and her 5 year old daughter were killed when a taxi crossed the center line. Though the center line is slightly wider 33 years later, Firnstein says the Parkway is still dangerous. "That's absolutely worthless to somebody who is distracted or for some reason loses control of their car." Firnstein said.
Firnstein says lowering the speed limit to 45 miles per hour would help, but he says the best solution would be a concrete barrier or guiderail to separate oncoming lanes of traffic. "It rips at my heart every time I see somebody die out here because my mom and dad, God rest their souls, were fighting back then to try to do something about this hazardous road."
EARLIER COVERAGE
A meeting is expected to happen today between the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office and the Sheriff's Office a week after a deadly crash on the Onondaga Lake Parkway.
The meeting will look into the type of charges that could result as a result of the accident which killed 40-year-old Mary Denny of North Syracuse on August 16.
At the time of the accident, Sheriff Kevin Walsh said "road rage" may have contributed to the crash.
Denny's car was hit head on by a Volkswagen Jetta driven by Matthew Stephan. The car crossed into her lane near a railroad bridge across the parkway.
Stephan was allegedly trying to pass a vehicle that had just passed him at a high rate of speed.
The accident has renewed the debate over how to improve safety along the parkway.
Edward Firnstein, whose sister and niece were killed in a similar accident in 1977, says his family has been calling for safety improvements for 33 years. Firnstein is calling upon the state department of transportation to reduce the speed limit along the parkway from the current 55 mph to 45 mph, as well as to construct a concrete barrier to separate the lanes of travel.
Firnstein tells CNY Central's Jim Kenyon that every time he hears of another fatal accident along the parkway, it "takes a piece out of my heart."
The Sheriff's Office says its investigation continues, and they still want to talk with anyone who may have been travelling on the Parkway when the crash took place. Investigators are asking that the driver of a white or silver van who was headed south on the Parkway at the time of the crash contact them at 315-435-3081.
Deputies say the van was not involved in the crash.
