An SUV swerved out of control on the Bruckner Expressway in the Bronx Friday afternoon, causing a three-car accident that killed the woman driving the sports utility vehicle. NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw was in a car involved in the crash but was not harmed.
The expressway was closed for much of the afternoon as police investigated the fatal crash, which happened around 1 p.m. in the northbound lanes.
Upon impact, the victim was hurled over an embankment and onto nearby railroad tracks. The woman, identified as Suejas Estrada, 30, of the Mott Haven, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Traffic was backed up for miles with as police cleared the accident that involved the SUV, a U.S. Postal Service truck, and Brokaw's vehicle.
An NBC spokeswoman said Brokaw had noticed a spool of cable bouncing in the right lane of the highway when the green SUV drove up fast and then swerved trying to avoid hitting the cable.
The SUV cut into the middle lane forcing the mail truck into Brokaw's lane. The spokeswoman said Brokaw slammed on his brakes as the postal truck crashed into the median. Brokaw's car then slid into to postal truck.
The postal truck became stuck on the Bruckner median, complicating the police's efforts and snarling traffic.
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The third vehicle, carrying Brokaw and his wife Meredith, suffered minor damage. A U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman said the truck's driver, who wasn't identified, was hospitalized.
The Brokaws said in a statement they were "greatly saddened by this loss of life." Brokaw didn't say in his statement where the couple was headed at the time.
