Speeding Auto Misses Curve, Lands on Village Official's Car

by Judy Silberstein

(October 26, 2006) A driver speeding down the Boston Post Road missed a curve, smashed through a wall and landed his Mercedes Benz on another vehicle parked in the lot behind Larchmont Village Hall early Saturday morning, October 21, according to Larchmont police. The curve is notorious, and neither flashing lights nor warning signs have succeeded in preventing serious accidents on that section of the road.

Miraculously, the only personal injury reported on Saturday was a facial cut sustained by the allegedly intoxicated driver, Yonkers resident Derrick Murray, 36, who was charged by New Rochelle police with drunk driving and reckless endangerment, a felony. His case was due to be heard in New Rochelle this week, but on Thursday was held over until November 16.

According to the Larchmont police, the incident began a few miles down the road in New Rochelle. Police there spotted Mr. Murray driving erratically at around 2:30 am. When he failed to stop, they pursued him into Larchmont, where he was traveling “at what appeared to be a high rate of speed,” noted the Larchmont incident report. The driver “did not expect a bend in the road and drove straight into a cement wall, crashing through it and landing on top of vehicle 2,” a 2003 Crown Victoria Ford used by Larchmont’s building inspector.

Early Saturday morning a Mercedes Benz landed on top of the Larchmont Police Crown Victoria.
Photo: Larchmont Police Department.

The Ford is “unofficially totaled” said Village Treasurer Denis Brucciani, who was awaiting official confirmation from the insurance adjustor. A 2006 Crown Victoria recently added to the Larchmont police fleet was hit by debris and suffered approximately $4000 in damages, including a broken windshield. A third car, owned by a Larchmont parking officer was also damaged.

This isn’t the first time the wall at Village Hall has been hit. “I’ve seen 3 or 4 good accidents there,” said Rita Wilson, Larchmont’s police clerk for the past 15 years. “People don’t navigate that curve - they come flying up that way.”

Half of the parking lot wall behind the Larchmont Police Department was missing following the early Saturday morning crash.

Ten years ago, on June 30, 1996, another driver failed to navigate the curve, bounced off the stone wall at Village Hall and crashed into Carlyn’s Cove at 2118 Boston Post Road across from Village Hall, recalled Carl Buehler, the owner of the bar and grill. Retired Larchmont Police Chief Bill Keresey, contacted by phone in North Carolina, was in the police parking lot that night. “I’ll never forget,” he said, “the car went completely airborne. All four tires were off the ground. The car spun around in a pirouette and landed in the storefront.”

The worst case in recent history, reported Mr. Buehler, occurred in the late 1960’s or early 1970’s on a wet winter evening when a car crashed into what is now Mavis Tire, caught fire and exploded, killing the driver. Former Chief Keresey was on duty that night as well and recalled it was another case of pursuit by the New Rochelle police who were chasing a suspect in a burglary of a sporting goods store. It was his grandfather, the first William Keresey to serve as police chief, who installed the flashing yellow caution light during his tenure, which lasted from 1934 until his death in 1974.

But the large flashing lights have not stopped accidents at this section of the Boston Post Road. Another casualty of this Saturday’s early morning crash was a large, neon green sign warning drivers to slow down for the curve.

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