Rockland Man Killed, 3 Others Injured In Wrong-Way Palisades Crash

HIGHLANDS, NY — A wrong-way, head-on collision on the Palisades Parkway at 4:47 a.m. Thursday killed Hugo Vasquez of Spring Valley and injured three others.

State police said their preliminary conclusion was that Vasquez was driving a 1998 Toyota Corolla south in the northbound lane when he struck a 2006 Toyota TC head-on near exit 18.

Vasquez, 67, was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The operator of the other Toyota, Franklin Yanza-Zaruma, 46, was taken to Garnet Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. His two passengers were transported to Westchester Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

There were no signs of impairment involved in the crash, police said.

Investigators are asking anyone who may have witnessed it or observed either of these vehicles before it happened to contact Senior Investigator Carmen Goffredo or Investigator Eric Haydt of the New York State Police at 845-364-0200.