Mom accused of driving under the influence charged in wrong-way LI parkway crash that killed her 9-year-old son

NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — A mother accused of driving under the influence early Thursday morning caused a fatal crash on the Southern State Parkway on Long Island that claimed the life of her 9-year-old son, and she has since been identified and charged, the New York State Police said.

The accident happened at around 2:30 a.m. when Kerri Bedrick, 32, began traveling the wrong way on the eastbound side of the Southern State Parkway near Exit 42 in Islip. Her car collided with three other cars, leading to a four-car crash.

Authorities said Bedrick, of Centerport, was under the influence at the time of the crash and had been driving in the wrong direction for an undetermined distance. “We don't know exactly how far she traveled yet,” said a spokesperson for the New York State Police, noting that there were indications she may have also been driving the wrong way on Sunrise Highway before the crash.

Police performed field sobriety tests on Bedrick at the scene, but the results have not been disclosed.

Bedrick’s son has been identified as 9-year-old Eli Henrys, also of Centerport, and the crash claimed his life. It also resulted in minor injuries to two other individuals involved in the collision, ages 24 and 29, but no injuries were reported in one of the other vehicles.

Thursday afternoon, police announced the charges against Bedrick, which include aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle, operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs, aggravated DWI with a child-passenger less than 16, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal possession of a stimulant.

An investigation is ongoing as authorities are working to determine how long Bedrick had been driving the wrong way and whether she was attempting to evade law enforcement.

Bedrick will be held overnight and is due for arraignment Friday morning at 9 a.m. in Suffolk County First District Court, police said.