Trooper Joseph Gallagher, who was hit by distracted driver in 2017, has died, State Police say
State Trooper Joseph J. Gallagher died Friday, officials announced Saturday. Credit: State Police
State Trooper Joseph Gallagher died Friday, three years after he was struck by a vehicle while helping a disabled motorist on a Sagtikos Parkway overpass in Commack, State Police officials said Saturday.
"It is with great sadness that Acting Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen announces the line of duty death of Trooper Joseph Gallagher," said a statement from the State Police.
On Dec. 18, 2017, Gallagher was struck by a vehicle while assisting a disabled motorist on the overpass from the westbound Long Island Expressway to the southbound Sagtikos Parkway. Gallagher, who was 38 at the time, was struck by a car driven by Jesse Cohen, who was distracted by three separate texting conversations, prosecutors said.
The father of two suffered a traumatic brain injury, losing the ability to walk, talk or eat without help.
On the day of the collision, Gallagher had parked his patrol car, with its lights flashing, behind a stopped car, prosecutors said. He closed one of the two lanes on the overpass and placed flares around the disabled vehicle, officials said.
Cohen was on his way home from the Walt Whitman Shops mall — where he was getting his phone repaired — when he crashed into Gallagher. Prosecutors say Cohen sent and received dozens of text messages, and had several social media apps open, in the 20 minutes leading up to the crash.
Cohen, 24, of West Islip, pleaded guilty to third-degree assault with criminal negligence, a misdemeanor. He was sentenced to 30 days time served, three years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service in a Central Islip court packed with state troopers.
Gallagher, a Buffalo native, had joined the State Police three years before the crash. He was last assigned to Brentwood.
He is survived by his wife, two children, parents, sister and brothers.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo ordered flags on state government buildings to be flown at half-staff in honor of Gallagher. Flags will be at half-staff beginning Sunday and through his burial.
"Trooper Gallagher is a hero to all New Yorkers — he dedicated his life to public service and worked to keep us safe," Cuomo said in a statement. "His tragic passing is a reminder of the selfless actions so many brave first responders take each day. We will never forget him, and to honor his memory, I am directing flags be flown at half-staff to honor his memory."
Craig Schneider is a Long Island native and Stony Brook University alumnus. He joined Newsday as a general assignment reporter in January 2018 after 20 years at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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