A man from Long Island received a decade-long prison sentence on Tuesday for a reckless crash that almost claimed the life of a Suffolk County police officer earlier this year.
Cody B. Fisher, residing in Brentwood, admitted guilt in September to charges of assaulting an officer, vehicular assault, and additional offenses connected to the incident that took place in January on the Long Island Expressway.
Suffolk County prosecutors revealed that Fisher, 29, was under the influence of both alcohol and marijuana when he sped past Officer Brendan Gallagher, who was in the middle of a traffic stop with another motorist.
Gallagher then attempted to pull Fisher over, but Fisher ignored the officer’s signals, engaging Gallagher in a chase while “weaving through lanes” and hitting speeds of up to 100 mph, according to the prosecutor’s statement.
In a dramatic turn, Gallagher managed to drive alongside Fisher, only for Fisher to accelerate and sideswipe the police car, which resulted in the cruiser flipping over and crashing into a tree.
Critically injured, Gallagher had to be cut from his vehicle and was flown to Stony Brook Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery for a torn aorta and severe abdominal injuries, ultimately requiring life support.
Gallagher was critically wounded and had to be extricated from his vehicle. He was airlifted to Stony Brook Hospital for emergency surgery to treat a torn aorta and a sliced-open abdomen and was ultimately placed on life support.
At Fisher’s sentencing on Tuesday, he tearfully apologized to Gallagher, who remains on medical leave and continues to suffer from serious issues as a result of his injuries. However, the apology appeared to fall on deaf ears.
“I think he’s just sorry he got caught. Whenever somebody gets caught, they’re always sorry,” Gallagher said at a press conference following the hearing.
In addition to the other charges, Fisher also pleaded guilty to counts of unlawful fleeing a police officer, driving while ability impaired, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and assault in the second degree.
“This case went beyond a reckless flight. The fact that this officer survived is nothing short of a miracle,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney. “Today’s sentence of a decade in state prison reflects the gravity of using a motor vehicle as an instrument of violence against those sworn to protect our community.”
Prior to the January incident, Fisher had brandished a gun at another driver during a road rage incident in Queens. The judge, when handing down his hefty sentence Tuesday, called him a “proven menace on the roads.”
