A Long Island police officer is fighting for his life after a high-speed pursuit resulted in a crash so serious that it took emergency services officers more than 30 minutes to remove him from his vehicle.
Officer Brendon Gallagher was executing a traffic stop on the Long Island Expressway early Sunday evening when a Ford Mustang flew by at about 100 mph, Robert Waring, Suffolk County acting police commissioner, told reporters Monday
Gallagher quickly returned to his vehicle and began following the westward-speeding car around Exit 55. The Mustang’s driver, identified by police as 29-year-old Cody Fisher, allegedly tried to blend in with traffic, then tried to speed away when Gallagher activated his flashing lights and siren. Fisher allegedly lost control of his vehicle and sideswiped the pursuing officer while trying to make his getaway.
Gallagher’s SUV left the roadway, hit a tree and flipped. The Mustang careened into a light post.
The decorated officer — an Army veteran who’s been with the police department for three years — was airlifted to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police told the Daily News Gallagher was in critical but stable condition Tuesday afternoon.
A fundraising page posted to the Suffolk County Police Department’s social media accounts Tuesday said the badly injured officer suffered extensive blood loss and was on a ventilator in critical condition.
Waring said Gallagher’s injuries were severe enough to where they would ordinarily be fatal.
“The fact that he’s still here with us is nothing short of a miracle,” the acting commissioner said.
Fisher was detained by an off-duty Nassau County police officer who was passing by when the incident occurred, according to PIX11. Fisher is accused of reckless driving and fleeing from law enforcement. Police said the suspect, who appeared to be under the influence of drugs at the time of his arrest, is already on probation for a weapons charge.
Fisher’s account of events and the extent of his own injuries are unclear. ABC News said he pleaded not guilty.
Monday marked the one-year anniversary of Gallagher’s release from Stony Brook Hospital after being treated for serious stab wound he suffered while responding to a domestic dispute in Medford. He was honored with a Silver Shield Award following that attack.