A North Syracuse man was killed Friday night in a crash on the New York State Thruway that troopers say was caused by an impaired driver.
New York State Police responded around 8:53 p.m. to a crash on Interstate 90 in the town of Stafford, according to a news release from Trooper James O’Callaghan.
Troopers said a GMC pickup truck was traveling eastbound when it was struck from behind by an eastbound BMW. The impact caused the pickup to overturn, ejecting the driver, identified as Scott K. Berberian, 56, of North Syracuse.
Berberian was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
The driver of the BMW, Patrick J. Hastings, 67, of Churchville, was not injured, but troopers reported he showed signs of impairment. Authorities said Hastings failed standardized field sobriety tests and later provided a breath sample showing a 0.08% blood alcohol content.
Hastings was charged with second-degree vehicular manslaughter, driving while intoxicated, and additional vehicle and traffic violations. He was taken to the Genesee County Jail for centralized arraignment.
The State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit and the Genesee County District Attorney’s Office assisted in the investigation, which remains ongoing.
