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.
//------------------------//
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