A New York City woman was killed on Tuesday evening when the SUV she was driving blew a tire and spun out of control. Four young passengers were injured, and a 12-year-old is in critical condition at Albany Medical Center.
According to a New York State Police release, Russhelle Thompson, 34, was headed north on I-87 near the Greene County town of Coxsackie when the passenger side rear tire of the 1998 Mercury Mountaineer she was driving blew out. The car spun out, struck the guard rail of the center median, became airborne, and rolled over across both southbound lanes, finally coming to rest upside down on the bank off the west shoulder of the road.
During the rollover, a 12-year-old girl was flung from the car, and is currently in critical condition with internal injuries at the Albany Medical Center.
Three others were recovering at the same hospital: Thompson’s son Messiah Jones, 12, suffered a fractured arm; Torrick Dixon, 18, of the Bronx, had a shoulder injury, and Aniah Marbley, 21, of Albany, suffered a fractured neck, cops said.
“She loved her son, that was her little man,” said Thompson’s neighbor Mary Pruitt, 44. “Everywhere she went, he was right there with her.”
Police believe all of the car's occupants were wearing seatbelts, the Daily News reported.
The accident closed down all I-87 southbound lanes until just before 2am on Wednesday. Responding to the scene were New York State Police from the Thruway and F troops, members of the Coxsackie and New Baltimore Fire Departments, Greene County EMS and Mobile Life paramedics.
