Early Sunday morning on the Upper West Side, a 65-year-old woman was killed when a wrong-way driver slammed into an SUV on the West Side Highway near West 79th Street. The crash happened around 3:40 a.m., and first responders rushed the passenger to Bellevue Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. Police say a person was taken into custody at the scene.
According to West Side Rag, a 26-year-old man was driving a Subaru northbound in the southbound lane when it collided head-on with a Toyota Highlander that was traveling in the correct direction. The Highlander was driven by a 49-year-old who suffered minor injuries. The backseat passenger was identified as 65-year-old Ada Rivero, who was taken to Bellevue in critical condition and later pronounced dead, authorities confirmed.
Wrong-way crashes are unusually deadly
Wrong-way collisions are relatively rare, but they are often especially violent since they frequently involve high-speed, head-on impacts. The Federal Highway Administration recorded 704 wrong-way driving fatalities in 2022, underscoring why investigators treat these scenes as major traffic incidents, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
Investigation ongoing
The NYPD has opened an investigation into the crash and has not yet publicly said why the Subaru was traveling the wrong way or whether impairment or other factors may have been involved. Police confirmed to West Side Rag that a person was taken into custody and that detectives continue to canvass the area and review evidence from the scene.
Local context and community concerns
Crashes along Manhattan's west side often reignite calls from neighbors and street-safety advocates, who regularly push for clearer signage, stronger enforcement and tighter controls at highway entrances and exits. A recent incident involving a driver nabbed months after a deadly crosswalk strike in the West Village led to further scrutiny of wrong-way driving and prompted fresh pressure on transportation officials to respond.
Possible charges
Prosecutors have not yet announced any charges, but depending on what the investigation uncovers, they could consider counts such as criminally negligent homicide. Under New York law, “a person is guilty of criminally negligent homicide when, with criminal negligence, he causes the death of another person,” and the offense is classified as a class E felony, according to the New York State Senate.
