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Former Scarsdale Resident Pleads Guilty In Fatal Wrong-Way Crash

A 24-year-old Armonk resident pleaded guilty to three felony counts after while he was driving the wrong way on I-684 that resulted in the death of a woman.

Zachary Tockson.

Zachary Tockson.

Photo Credit: Westchester County District Attorney's Office

Zachary Tokson, a former Scarsdale resident, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide (a Class B felony), manslaughter in the second degree (a Class C felony) and vehicular assault in the second degree (a Class E felony) in the death of Elena Lopez.

Last Dec. 13 at 5:49 a.m. Tokson was driving his Lexus SUV northbound in the southbound lanes on I-684 in Bedford when he collided head-on with Lopez. Lopez died instantly on impact from multiple blunt force trauma injuries, according to the Westchester County District Attorney's Office.

Tokson suffered a laceration over his right eye. A passenger suffered serious injuries that required hospitalization including broken ribs, a dislocated femur, and lacerations of the liver and spleen, but survived, according to the Westchester County District Attorney's Office

Police investigated and found that Tokson had been drinking hours earlier at a bar in Brewster. After leaving the bar and having stopped for some food, Tolson and his passenger proceeded south on I-684. They stopped at the Bedford rest area to take a nap, according to the Westchester County District Attorney's Office

Tokson woke up and began driving the wrong way on I-684 for approximately 1.1 miles prior to the collision. A search of his vehicle revealed a closed empty bottle of whiskey and a mixed alcohol drink inside a closed soda bottle. The defendant had a BAC in excess of .08, according to the Westchester County District Attorney's Office

Tokson will be sentenced on January 12. He faces a maximum of 8.3 to 25 years in state prison, according to the Westchester County District Attorney's Office.

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