Sunday, February 6, 2011 In a horrific twist of irony, a Nassau County (Long Island, NY) Police Department Highway Patrol Officer was killed in the Line of Duty yesterday when his car was struck by another vehicle just miles from where a NY State Police Trooper threatened to arrest the North Merrick (Nassau County, Long Island) Fire Chief for his attempt to protect those operating on the roadway. Chief Allen said the trooper did not want him to close the right lane of the parkway, insisting that he allow both the right and left lanes to handle the flow of traffic after the accident and responders operate in the middle. When Chief Allen disagreed, the officer threatened to have him arrested, but instead, ended with the trooper issuing the citation. “As of January 1, there is a new law in effect that says that all cars have to move over or slow down when they see warning lights," Allen said.  "Now, in this case, no one could move over because the accident was in the center lane, but I had to make the scene secure."

The Nassau County Police Officer was killed yesterday in the horrific car crash that left his cruiser crushed beneath a flatbed truck on the Long Island Expressway. Officer Michael Califano, 44, was pronounced dead at the hospital around 12:30 a.m. Fire & Police Emergency personnel needed 30 minutes to free the veteran cop from the twisted wreckage after John Kaley, 25, of New Britain, Conn., smashed into the car from behind with the flatbed. Kaley was charged with one count of criminally negligent homicide. He's also accused of violating a new state law that requires drivers to move away from stopped emergency vehicles.

The Officer was sitting in his cruiser with lights flashing during a traffic stop on the Long Island Expressway. Officer Califano had pulled a vehicle over near exit 39 in Old Westbury for having insufficient lights and was sitting in his car when it was struck from behind shortly before 2300 Hours Friday. The impact propelled the cruiser under a stopped box truck, while the flatbed mounted the police vehicle's roof. Califano was 44 and a member of the NCPD Highway Patrol Unit. He had been on the force for 12 years. 3 other people suffered less serious injuries in the wreck, which closed part of the expressway for hours overnight. The injured included two people who were in the box truck and a female passenger in the flatbed truck. All were being treated at a hospital. Our condolences to the NCPD and the family of Officer Califano. ANOTHER REMINDER OF THE DANGERS TO POLICE, FIREFIGHTERS & OTHER OPERATING ON THE ROADWAYS.

RAW VIDEO FROM THE ABOVE CRASH SCENE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUaoc2329yU" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUaoc2329yU" >http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUaoc2329yU (Note: The police car is hardly recognizable in the above video, you will see the camera zoom in-that is the car)