Mother charged with causing accident on Southern State Parkway – NBC New York

A 32-year-old woman has been charged in connection with an alleged drug-induced wrong-way driving crash that killed her nine-year-old son and wrecked four vehicles on Long Island's Southern State Parkway last week, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office confirmed Wednesday.

Kerri Bedrick had an expired driver's license and 56 previous driving suspensions, as well as methamphetamine pills in her vehicle when her son died in the back seat, prosecutors said. According to a criminal complaint, she also admitted to taking the pills about four and a half hours before the fatal crash and described them as her medication.

According to her lawyer, Bedrick needs medication because she suffers from spina bifida and epilepsy. He also said that she is a victim of domestic violence. The lawyer asked for mental and physical support for his client.

Hours after Thursday's crash in Islip, Bedrick pleaded not guilty to a series of charges, including driving without a license, driving under the influence of drugs, driving under the influence of alcohol with a child under 16 as a passenger, endangering the welfare of a child and illegal possession of a stimulant.

She appeared at the court hearing in a wheelchair. Authorities said she was not seriously injured, nor were the people in the other vehicles.

Authorities claim Bedrick refused to stop when officers noticed she was driving the wrong way before the crash and instead sped up. They claim it appears she was driving the wrong way on Sunrise Highway before turning onto the Southern State Parkway. When she was taken to the hospital, she was given a blood test; the results were inconclusive.

Bedrick, who was charged with drunken driving and attempting to elude police in 2012, was taken into custody on $2 million bail following her initial arraignment earlier this month.

Afterwards, Bedrick's mother told NBC New York outside court that her grandson was a “sweet, sweet boy” and that her daughter “loves him so much.” When asked if she thought her daughter's health problems might have played a role in the fatal accident, she said, “I think so.”