Woman And Child Flown To Hospital After Accident In Bridgehampton On Tuesday

A mother and her 3-year-old son were flown to Stony Brook University Hospital after a two-car accident in Bridgehampton on Tuesday, and the driver of a pickup truck who police said caused the accident was charged with driving while under the influence of drugs.

Erica Beremeo Palacios, 31, of Morristown, New Jersey, was traveling north on Newlight Lane in a 2008 Nissan Altima when her car was struck by a 2019 Ford F150 at the intersection of Montauk Highway and Newlight Lane at approximately 11:23 a.m., according to Southampton Town Police.

Upon further investigation by a Southampton Town Police Department drug recognition expert, the driver of the pickup truck, Robert K. Futterman, 60, who has a home in Noyac, was determined to have been driving while impaired by drugs.

He was charged with a felony count of driving while ability impaired, two counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, both misdemeanors, and unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation.

Southampton Town Police detectives did not respond to requests seeking additional information about the accident, and the duty officer declined to comment on Tuesday.

According to The East Hampton Star, eyewitnesses reported that Ms. Palacios’s son sustained a laceration to the head, and the Bridgehampton Fire Department responded with its heavy rescue squad to extricate Ms. Palacios from her vehicle. The injuries of both mother and son were later determined to be minor, according to Town Police.

Bridgehampton Fire Department officials did not return phone calls on Tuesday.

Montauk Highway between Snake Hollow Road and Newlight Lane was closed for approximately two hours while police investigated the incident.

Mr. Futterman was transported to Southampton Town Police headquarters in Hampton Bays and held overnight for arraignment, the outcome of which was not immediately available on Wednesday morning.

Mr. Futterman was also arrested by Sag Harbor Village Police on Thursday, July 18, and charged with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, a misdemeanor. According to the arrest report, Mr. Futterman was operating a Tiara boat in the harbor near Sag Harbor Village when he struck the anchor chain of a motor yacht. He was transported to Sag Harbor Village Justice Court and bail was set at $1,000.