Sound Off: Safety Improvements for Southern State Parkway

In the wake of the crash that took the lives of two Hempstead residents on the Southern State Parkway in Merrick Sunday morning, motorists are calling for improvements to be made. 

“The southern snake is what I call it. It’s like this. It’s always turns. If you’re not paying attention, boom, you fly right off the road,” Eric Duran told WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs. “Something has to be done.”

Kervens Boutin, 30, of Hempstead, was operating a Nissan Maxima westbound on the Southern State Parkway with four passengers when he lost control and struck several trees.  

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Pronounced dead at the scene were passengers Bryan Rivas, 20, and Blossom Castro, 22, both of Hempstead.  

Boutin and another passenger, Marlo Cabrera, 19, of the Bronx, were transported to Nassau University Medical Center, where they remain in the Intensive Care Unit, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

An additional passenger, Antonio Rivas, 22, of Hempstead, was transported to Winthrop Hospital, where hospital officials confirmed he remains in critical condition.

Boutin was charged with Reckless Driving. Additional charges are pending the outcome of the accident investigation. 

“People drive too fast, that’s the problem," North Merrick Resident Charles Latka told CBS. "The 55 mph doesn’t mean anything. [It's] constant, you never go through a weekend where you don’t hear squealing brakes and a crash.”

According to CBS, State police stats show 12 fatalities on that stretch of the Southern State in the last two years and 40 in the last five years.

Do you think changes need to be made to the Southern State Parkway? Tell us in the comments section below.

Related

• Victims Identified in Fatal Parkway Crash
• Crash Vehicles Remain in Critical Condition