Rye Man Dies in Fatal Car Accident on I-95

A Rye man is dead after a fatal car accident on I-95 near exit 19 in Rye.

The accident happened just before 8 a.m. Sunday morning, crippling traffic in the northbound direction of the interstate.

The man has been identified as 48-year-old Mark Drago of Rye, according to news reports.

Sgt. William Collins of the New York Thruway Authority said Drago was driving his Ford Explorer Sport on Playland Parkway at a high rate of speed when it fell off a 40 foot embankment and onto I-95. Drago was ejected from the vehicle and fell onto the roadway. Authorities said the vehicle may have landed on Drago. They did not have information on exactly how fast he was driving.

"He failed to negotiate the corner of the curb onto 95-North," Collins said.

Drago's car was virtually mangled and parts of it looked burned by fire. Drago was pronounced dead at the scene. There were no other passengers in the car with Drago and no other vehicles were involved in the accident. Authorities said a small car fire was extinguished at the scene.

Just an hour after the accident, Drago's car was resting on a guardrail between the northbound and southbound lanes of I-95. Its front end rested toward the southbound direction of the highway, while its back end and trunk rested in the northbound direction.

Crews from the Rye Police and Rye Fire departments were on the scene, as well as New York State Police.

The accident caused severe delays on I-95 north for almost two hours.  The incident had a ripple effect on traffic. There were three minor car accidents on that same stretch of highway during this time, including a three-car collision that damaged the front and back fenders of the vehicles involved. 

By 10 a.m. traffic was moving again and authorities had cleared the vehicle from the left shoulder lane of I-95 North.

New York State Police are talking with the Medical Examiner and will release more details on this accident as soon as they become available.