Monday, March 23, 2015

FIREMAN WAS ARRAIGNED ON AN 11-COUNT INDICTMENT CHARGING HIM WITH AGGRAVATED HOMICIDE, AGGRAVATED MANSLAUGHTER, VEHICULAR ASSAULT, DRUNK DRIVING, DRUG POSSESSION AND NUMEROUS TRAFFIC INFRACTIONS IN THE NOV. 3 WRONG-WAY HEAD-ON CRASH THAT KILLED 1 AND CRITICALLY INJURED ANOTHER










MARCH 17, 2015

WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK

After killing a woman and critically injuring a man in a drunken, drug-fueled wrong way crash, city Firefighter Erik Refvik voiced one thought as he was taken to the hospital, court papers say:

"What a way to end a Sunday fun day."

Refvik, 34, was arraigned Monday on an 11-count indictment charging him with aggravated homicide, aggravated manslaughter, vehicular assault, drunk driving, drug possession and numerous traffic infractions in the Nov. 3 head-on crash that killed Reyda LaMadrid, 47, of Harrison and critically injured her former husband, 49-year-old Edgar Lopez.

The horrific collision occurred at 4:30 a.m. after prosecutors said Refvik went on a 12-hour drinking binge at local bars and ingested a "cocktail of drugs," including cocaine, sedatives and bath salts. With his blood alcohol level at .21 percent — nearly three times the legal limit — prosecutors said Refvik got into his Chevrolet Tahoe and sped about 1/3 of a mile the wrong way on South Lexington Avenue, going 65 mph in the 30 mph zone.

As he tried to also turn the wrong way onto Martine Avenue, authorities said, Refvik slammed into a Honda Civic driven by Lopez, who was delivering newspapers with his ex-wife. Refvik then reversed his SUV and smashed into the lobby of an apartment building.

Refvik pleaded not guilty to the indictment that was unsealed Monday before Acting Supreme Court Justice Robert Neary.

"It's a very strong case," Westchester County Assistant District Attorney Michelle Lopez told the judge, who doubled Refvik's bail to $50,000. "Clearly, he faces substantial prison time."

Court papers obtained by The Journal News say that immediately after the wreck, Refvik told police "I want to be upfront with you. There are a few Heinekens in the back of my car from a football game the other night."
He also maintained he had been driving in the right direction and that the Honda "came out of the Galleria parking lot the wrong way, and struck him," the court documents say.

Lopez said in court that security and traffic cameras confirmed the police account of Refvik's route. Authorities say video also shows him drinking at The Brazen Fox, Hudson Grille, Copper Face Jacks and Black Bear bars in the downtown business district in the hours before the crash.

Refvik was suspended without pay after his arrest. He did not speak during his brief court appearance Monday.

His lawyer, Andrew Quinn, said Refvik has moved out of his White Plains apartment and has been been living with his family in Mahopac. Refvik grew up in the hamlet, where he was a standout lacrosse player with a history of personal tragedies. Several family members were with him in court.

Quinn argued against increasing Refvik's bail, saying that "the only change is the existence of an indictment."

Refvik had initially been charged with criminally negligent homicide and driving while intoxicated.

Quinn declined to comment after the court proceedings.

LaMadrid was an independent contractor for Publisher's Circulation Fulfillment, the company used by The Journal News to deliver its newspapers to subscribers. Although she had remarried, she and Lopez continued to work together. The couple had two children together, Joseph, a student at Harrison High School and Roslyn, a college student.

The family had no comment Monday.

After the wreck, teachers at Harrison High School, where Joseph Lopez attends, set up an online effort to raise money for the family's expenses and to send LaMadrid's body to her native Peru for her funeral. To date the fund has raised $45,000.

Refvik is due to return to court on March 26.

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White Plains firefighter DWI in wrong-way fatal crash.  Woman, 47, killed when car struck by firefighter's wrong-way SUV, police say

 
November 5, 2015

WHITE PLAINS – A White Plains firefighter was charged with criminally negligent homicide and driving while intoxicated after his wrong-way SUV slammed into a car early Monday morning, killing a local woman.

Erik Refvik, 34, of White Plains, allegedly sped in the wrong direction for nearly half a mile before the 4:30 am crash outside White Plains Public Safety Headquarters, authorities said.

He was arraigned in the afternoon at his bed at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, where bail was set at $25,000. Authorities said Refvik, a city firefighter for four years, had a blood-alcohol level of .145 percent — almost twice the legal threshold for DWI.

Public Safety Commissioner David Chong said Refvik has been suspended without pay. Refvik had a prior DWI conviction, pleading guilty in 2003 following an arrest in Manhattan.

"It appears that he was going at a very high rate of speed," Chong said. "One woman is dead and two lives are changed forever in this absolute tragedy."
The woman, identified as Reyda LaMadrid, 47, was in the back seat of a Honda driven by her husband, Edgar Lopez, 49, when it was hit by Refvik's Chevrolet Tahoe at the intersection of South Lexington and Martine avenues.

Refvik had been driving east on Post Road when he made an illegal left turn onto South Lexington, then sped north in the wrong direction, according to the criminal complaint. The impact of the collision sent the Honda about 200 feet toward Main Street. According to the complaint, Refvik then pulled back and drove the SUV in reverse into the lobby of 25 Martine Ave.

LaMadrid was an an independent contractor for Publisher's Circulation Fulfillment, the firm used by The Journal News to deliver its newspapers to subscribers. Bundles of newspapers were still strewn about outside the car hours after the wreck.

Chuck Farrell, assistant distribution manager at the company, said LaMadrid and Lopez were married and lived in Port Chester. He said her husband frequently helped her deliver newspapers.

"She was a quiet, nice woman," he said.
LaMadrid was pronounced dead at the scene. Both drivers were taken by ambulance to Westchester Medical Center. Chong said Lopez was in serious condition with non-life threatening upper body and internal injuries.

Chong said Refvik suffered facial injuries and bumps and bruises and was admitted to the hospital. He said the charges against Refvik could be upgraded at a later date, depending on the results of the ongoing investigation.

The homicide charge is a felony punishable by up to four years in prison. The DWI charge is a misdemeanor, but would have been a felony if Refvik's prior conviction had been within 10 years. In the 2003 case, Refvik had a blood-alcohol level of .28 percent. He was spared probation and jail when he was sentenced to a conditional discharge and ordered to participate in an alcohol treatment program.

"Our thoughts and prayers and deepest sympathies go out to the families," said Joe Carrier, president of White Plains Professional Firefighters union local 274. "Obviously it's a terribly sad day for the department and for the union."
He said Refvik was one of nine firefighters laid off by the city in 2010 because of budget restraints and reinstated the following year.

"He loves the job," Carrier said. "He's a very dedicated firefighter and he's always one of the first ones to step up when we're doing charity work."
Refvik is due in City Court on Nov. 17. His lawyer could not immediately be reached.

South Lexington Avenue remained closed into the afternoon as police continued to investigate the wreck. It reopened at about 2:30 p.m.
Source: http://www.lohud.com