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Off-Duty Cops May Have Been Drinking Before Fatal Crash
By
Jaya Saxena
Published May 17, 2010
Modified May 17, 2010
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By
Jaya Saxena
Published May 17, 2010
Modified May 17, 2010
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Yesterday's crash on the Bronx River Parkway that killed two off-duty NYPD cops and left four in critical condition may have been caused by drunk driving, according to the surviving passengers. Edwin Paulino, 25, and Kim Hoyoung, 32, of Harlem's 32nd precinct, were pinned inside the car after it slammed into a guard rail. One survivor, Melina Ramirez, suffered a broken leg and a fractured spine, and told relatives the cops had been drinking. Her sister told the Daily News, "I asked her, 'Did you ask if they were okay to drive?' And she told me he said, 'I'm a little bit tipsy, but I'm okay to drive.'"
So far, the police are blaming the crash on "driver inattentiveness"; according to the Post, "The cops have been tested for drugs and alcohol, but the results are so far inconclusive." The four female passengers were thrown from the car, a five-seat 2009 Nissan Altima (photo of the wrecked car), and all suffered broken bones and fractures. Mayor Bloomberg said of the accident, "It would appear that it's just a tragic accident and two police officers off-duty were killed. This investigation [is] ongoing. And to come on a day where you saw a police officer get hit by a motorcycle while he was chasing somebody...This just makes it so much worse somehow or other."
The passengers' families were in shock that the officers may have been drinking while driving with six people in a five-seat car (Hoyoung was reportedly the driver, though some accounts said it was unclear who was driving due to the wreckage). Melina Ramirez's mother said, "She's in bad shape. They are all in bad shape. How can [you] be a young police officer and drink if you are going to drive?" It is also unclear if any in the car were wearing seatbelts.
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