NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Suffolk County Police Officer Brendan Gallagher, critically injured in a high-speed chase crash earlier this month, is heading home on Monday after spending 22 days in the hospital.
Hundreds, including fellow officers, gathered outside Stony Brook University Hospital to celebrate Officer Gallagher’s release and recovery after he was seriously injured in a Long Island Expressway crash.
Dr. James Vosswinkel from Stony Brook Medicine described the recovery as "miraculous."
The officer sustained severe injuries when his police cruiser veered off the Long Island Expressway during a pursuit of a Ford Mustang on Jan. 5. The vehicle flipped over, leaving Gallagher in critical condition and requiring immediate hospitalization.
While Gallagher has made significant progress, his journey to full recovery is ongoing. He will continue his rehabilitation at home, escorted by a convoy of police vehicles to mark his return.
The suspect, Cody B. Fisher, 29, of Brentwood, was indicted earlier this month for assault on a police officer and several other related charges, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.
According to court documents, Officer Gallagher was conducting a traffic stop on the westbound Long Island Expressway, near Exit 55, when a 2021 Ford Mustang sped past him, police said.
He activated his lights and sirens and tried to pull over the Mustang, but the operator lost control of his vehicle and sideswiped Gallagher’s patrol car. The police vehicle was rammed off the roadway, overturned and crashed into a tree.
The Mustang also went off the roadway and struck a light post, officials said. The driver, Fisher, was arrested by an off-duty Nassau County police officer who was driving by at the time of the incident. He was taken to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore to treat non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Officer Gallagher was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital and treated for serious injuries including a torn aorta and abdominal injuries which required surgery. He remains at the hospital, prosecutors said.
Gallagher is a member of Suffolk County Police’s Street Takeover Task Force, and only two years ago suffered a stab wound at another crime scene while on-duty.
Fisher was arraigned on multiple charges outlined in the indictment, including assault on a police officer, vehicular assault, unlawful fleeing a police officer, reckless endangerment, driving while ability impaired by drugs, driving while ability impaired by the combined influence of a drug or alcohol and drugs, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, reckless driving, and speeding, according to prosecutors.