Albany,NY : Doctor testifies on fatal injuries of man killed in Lincoln Tunnel crash on April, thursday 4th 2017

The 49-year-old man who was killed in a 2014 Lincoln Tunnel crash suffered seldom survivable brain and spinal cord damage, a New York medical examiner said while testifying in a Montclair man's vehicular homicide trial today.

Louis S. Pine, 41, was driving 91 mph -- about 55 mph over the Lincoln Tunnel's speed limit -- when he his BMW slammed into a minivan and propelled it into another vehicle at about 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 2, 2014, authorities said at the time.

A passenger in the minivan, Steven M. Benevento, 49, of Summit, went into cardiac arrest and was taken to a New York City hospital, where he died a few hours later, Port Authority officials said that day.

Dr. Zhanna Georgievskryn testified this morning that Benevento suffered vertebral fractures in his back and damage to neck ligaments, which pulled the spinal cord away from his brain, damaging his ability to control a number of vital, unconscious bodily functions.

After suffering such an injury, a "person will be unable to control their blood pressure, heart rate and their ability to breath will be highly compromised," Georgievskryn said, adding that "Their brain is basically separated from the rest of their body."

The medical examiner said Benevento also suffered skull fractures above his eyes, bruising to his upper body and abdomen, and fractured ribs sometimes seen in patients who have received chest compression during CPR.

Also on the stand this morning was a New York Fire Department Emergency Medical Technician Philomena Deleon who treated Pine at the scene. In her report, she noted that he said he began feeling ill when he entered the tunnel and did not remember the crash but did remember the impact and his air bag deploying.

"He knew where he was, he knew where he was going, he didn't' know what happened," the EMT said. "He was just like, 'What's going on. What's going on.'"

Deleon's report also states that Pine said he was not dizzy or nauseous and was not suffering chest pain. He was stabilized and taken to a New York hospital.

In opening statements yesterday, the defense asserted that on the day of the crash, Pine was suffering the effects of a medical condition, precipitating the crash.


Source :
Doctor testifies on fatal injuries of man killed in 2014 Lincoln Tunnel crash