What to Know
- A Westchester County man has been put behind bars after pleading guilty to homicide and manslaughter in a 2015 wrong way driving death
- The 24-year-old driver was sentenced to three to nine years in prison for killing a woman while driving drunk in the wrong highway lane
- He also severely injured a female passenger, who suffered broken ribs and a dislocated femur as a result of the crash
An Armonk, New York man was sentenced to prison after pleding guilty to vehicular homicide and manslaughter, the Westchester District Attorney said.
A judge sentenced Zachary Tokson, 24, to three to nine year in state prison Thursday, officials said. He pled guilty to one count of aggravated vehicular homicide, one count of manslaughter in the second degree and one count of vehicular assault in the second degree in the death of Elena Lopez.
Tokson was driving a white Lexus SUV heading northbound in the southbound lanes of I-684 in Bedford just before 5:50 a.m. on Dec. 13, 2015, authorities said.
His SUV collided into Lopez's gray Ford Focus station wagon near the 16.8 mile marker, killing her instantly on impact due to blunt trauma injuries.
He suffered a laceration above his right eye. Though his female passenger survived the crash, she suffered serious injuries that required hospitalization including broken ribs, a dislocated femur and spleen and liver lacerations.
A subsequent investigation revealed that the 24-year-old had been drinking at a bar in Brewster prior to the crash, then stopped for food and napped at the Bedford Rest Area, officials said. His Blood Alcohol Content exceeded the legal limit of .08 percent.
Local
Police found a closed empty bottle of whiskey and a mixed alcoholic drink inside a closed soda bottle upon searching Tokson's car.
Tokson was remanded to the custody of the New York State Department of Corrections.
