Police: 22-year-old man struck several times, killed on Major Deegan Expressway

NEW YORK — Police are investigating following a fatal crash on the Major Deegan Expressway on Sunday.

They are trying to determine the exact chain of events that began with a single-car accident in the southbound lanes and ended with a pedestrian being hit and killed in the northbound lanes.

It started with a disabled car and the driver of that car was hit not once but twice on the roadway.

Police shut down the Deegan southbound between exits 10 and 11 at around 4:15 a.m. Investigators initially said a 22-year-old man, later identified as Justin Francisco, lost control of his Honda Accord and hit a wall. He then decided to exit his car and inspect the damage near 238th Street in Kingsbridge.

As he was doing so, police say a 61-year old driver in a Subaru, also traveling southbound, hit the Honda and pushed it forward, adding the car hit the man who was inspecting the damage.

In a tragic turn events, that 22-year-old was thrown over the center wall of the Deegan into oncoming northbound traffic.

At that point, investigators say the 22-year-old was hit once again, this time by a 37-year-old driver of a Jeep going northbound. The impact ejected the Jeep’s driver.

When the ambulance arrived, EMS crews couldn’t save the 22-year-old.

The Deegan was closed for hours as the New York State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit gathered evidence.

In addition to the one death, police say the driver of the jeep was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Three others were also transported, but are expected to be okay.