Who is Kerri Bedrick? Long Island mother charged in accident that killed her son

LONG ISLAND – A Long Island mother faces multiple charges after her nine-year-old son was killed in a wrong-way driving accident on the Southern State Parkway in Bay Shore, authorities said.

Who is Kerri Bedrick?

According to police, Kerri Bedrick, 32, of Centerport was allegedly impaired and driving without a license at the time of the accident Thursday morning.

Kerri Bedrick, 32, of Centerport, faces several charges.

Bedrick is expected to appear in court this morning in Central Islip. The charges she faces in court are:

• Serious breach of the licensing requirement.
• Driving a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs.
• Serious offense under the influence of alcohol.
• Endangering the welfare of a child.
• Criminal possession of a stimulant.

“The officers did their best to save the boy's life and this was a traumatic experience for everyone involved,” said Major Stephen Udice of the New York Police Department.

Accident on the Southern State Parkway

New York State Troopers and Suffolk County Sheriff's Office patrols responded to the east side of the Parkway, just past Exit 42, around 2:20 a.m. Thursday.

According to police, Bedrick was driving a 2022 Mitsubishi SUV the wrong way while her son, Eli Henrys, was in the back seat. She collided with another vehicle, causing a four-car crash.

“To give you an idea of ​​the severity of the impact, the engine of the wrong-way vehicle was thrown into the forest some distance from the collision site,” Udice said.

Police found Bedrick standing outside with her son still strapped in. They performed CPR both in the car and in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, but were unable to save him.

The scene on the Southern State Parkway on Thursday morning.

Two other drivers, Haydee Meyer, 29, and David Picard, 24, were taken to Good Samaritan Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A third driver, a 63-year-old man, was uninjured.

Bedrick also suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was escorted out of the hospital in handcuffs by police officers. Investigators say officers were pursuing Bedrick's SUV before the fatal crash.

“Prior to the collision, a Suffolk County Sheriff's patrol noticed the vehicle traveling in the wrong direction and attempted to stop it,” Udice said. “However, the wrong-way driver accelerated and refused to stop.”