Suffolk County Police Officer Brendon Gallagher to go home from hospital 22 days after crash

A Suffolk County police officer who was critically injured earlier this month after crashing during a car chase is expected to be released from the hospital on Monday, the department said Sunday evening.

The officer, Brendon Gallagher, will be discharged from Stony Brook University Hospital, the department said in a news release.

Gallagher had been injured Jan. 5. At the time of the crash, Gallagher was trying to pull over the driver of a speeding Ford Mustang on the Long Island Expressway who was under the influence of drugs, the department has said. The driver lost control and sideswiped Gallagher’s police vehicle, which left the roadway and overturned, according to the department.

The driver, Cody B. Fisher, 29, of Brentwood, was arrested and charged with reckless driving, assault on a police officer and other crimes.

Through his attorney, Eric Besso, Fisher pleaded not guilty. 

At Fisher’s arraignment, Besso said Gallagher’s driving may have been a factor in the crash.

"One of the factual things is that the cop was as aggressive as he was," Besso said.

Fisher also crashed and was hospitalized, as was another driver.

Gallagher's release from the hospital will be attended by Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine, Suffolk police acting Commissioner Robert Waring and Stony Brook University Hospital trauma and emergency surgery chief Dr. James Vosswinkel.

Vosswinkel said earlier this month that Gallagher lost blood, had a torn aorta and low blood pressure, and his abdominal wall, through the muscle and skin, was "completely lacerated."

Gallagher, 30, an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, worked on the department’s Street Takeover Task Force, which was created last year to combat illegal street racing. He was doing a traffic stop just after 6 p.m. near Exit 55 on the westbound part of the expressway when a Fisher sped past at about 95 to 100 mph, the department has said.

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, has said Fisher revved his engine before speeding off.

The police news release Sunday said, “Miraculously, after 22 days in the hospital, Officer Gallagher will be released from the hospital to continue recovering at home.”

Gallagher has been injured before on the job — in 2022, when he was stabbed.

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.