Man sentenced to 6 months in prison for causing crash that nearly killed Suffolk cop

A Suffolk County police officer who was nearly killed in a chain-reaction car crash last year told the Mastic man who caused the accident that he held “no animosity” on Monday, shortly before the motorist was sentenced to 6 months in jail and 5 years probation.

Suffolk County police Officer Timothy Thrane said he continues to struggle with injuries from the Nov. 3 accident caused by William Petersohn, 38, and that his family suffered even more than he did.

"I know that your intention was not to hurt me or anyone else for that matter, but that was the result," Thrane said in a victim statement before Acting Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Richard Horowitz sentenced Petersohn in Riverhead on Monday. “I realize how lucky I am to be alive and I hope you realize the same. Had I not survived, this sentencing would likely be very different for you.”

Thrane, a four-year Suffolk police veteran, continues to undergo therapy for injuries sustained in the crash but vowed to return to the department and the job he said he loves.

“While you may have broken my body, you never broke my spirit,” Thrane said. “I’m going to be a cop again and I’m going to be the best husband and father I can be. I realize how precious life is so I’m going to make the best out of mine and I sincerely hope you do the same.” 

Petersohn, who pleaded guilty on April 19 to second-degree vehicular assault, second-degree assault and first-degree operating a motor vehicle while under the influence, turned to Thrane before he was sentenced and accepted responsibility for the accident. 

“My words can’t simply convey how sorry I am for this,” Petersohn told Thrane.

Petersohn’s attorney, Joseph L. Indusi of Hauppauge, said after Monday’s hearing that his client had expressed remorse but declined to comment further. 

Horowitz told Petersohn, who prosecutors said had been drinking and smoking marijuana prior to the crash, that he would not be facing a jail sentence if not for alcohol and drugs. 

“You can’t put the lives of the rest of us at risk,” Horowitz said. 

More than a dozen Suffolk police officers attended Monday’s sentencing, some wearing blue T-shirts that said “Thrane Tough” to support Thrane, his wife Janelle and other family members. Petersohn’s parents were also at the hearing, and Petersohn’s father approached Thrane afterward to express his sympathy.

Thrane was  directing traffic and placing road flares just after midnight on Nov. 3 at the site of a car accident in Yaphank when a Chevrolet pickup driven by Petersohn crashed into the back of a GMC Yukon parked nearby, police said. The impact from the crash caused the Yukon to fishtail and spin into Thrane.

The force of the impact caused the officer to sustain a fractured skull, officials said. Thrane had an epidural hematoma — an artery ripped on the inside of his skull, filling blood into his brain — that could have been fatal if not for treatment at the scene by Ridge firefighters and aviation paramedics, officials and doctors said at the time.

The force of the impact by the Yukon also broke Thrane's arm and hand, ripped all the ligaments in his neck and tore the ligaments in his knee.

Thrane spent nearly a month in a medically induced coma as a result of the life-threatening brain injury and was released from St. Charles Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in Port Jefferson on Dec. 9. Doctors have said they were optimistic that Thrane will make a full recovery.

Despite his horrific injuries, Thrane said his family suffered more. His children, ages 11, 5 and 3, did not see their father for a month and seem disappointed that he can’t play with them because of his health. The officer's parents and in-laws feared he would not survive the accident and his wife was roused from bed after midnight by the “knock on the door that the wife of every cop fears.” 

“On Dec. 9, after working very hard at rehab to get home to my family, I was released,” Thrane said. “I couldn’t have been happier to be home with my family, especially in time for Christmas. “But I quickly realized I couldn’t be the husband, father or friend I once was. In between driving me to all my doctor appointments, my wife had to accomplish all of the parental and household responsibilities, while I couldn’t do much more than lay on a couch.” 

Horowitz said he was moved by Thrane’s graciousness. 

“Your sense of forgiveness and your sense of compassion are lessons for us all in how we live our lives,” the judge told the officer.