NEW YORK, NY – An unthinkable tragedy occurred in New York City on Saturday when a devastating collision claimed the lives of a soon-to-be groom and his cousin. The incident took place a mere day ahead of the man’s anticipated wedding.
Coming at the helm of a Dodge Challenger, 38-year-old Kirk Walker and his cousin, 40-year-old Robert McLaurin, were navigating on the northbound lanes of Henry Hudson Parkway, close to West 165th Street. Their journey was interrupted by a disastrous head-on collision with a pickup truck driven by an individual who was driving the wrong way. The time of the incident, according to the New York City Police Department, was 2:21 a.m.
The repercussions of the crash proved lethal for Walker and McLaurin. Two other people, a 27-year-old male driver and a 28-year-old male passenger of an Audi S3, were also impacted by the collision and were hospitalized. According to the NYPD, their conditions are now stable.
In the aftermath of the crash, the pickup truck caught fire, but not before the driver and his 22-year-old passenger managed to flee. While the driver is still at large, the passenger has been detained.
Walker, a father to three children, was set to marry his significant other, Shauntea Weaver, on Sunday, Aug. 25. A heartbreaking turn of events resulted in a vigil in Bergenfield, NJ, on what was to be their wedding day.